TIIRANA, July 30 /ATA/ The European Delegation in Tirana acknowledges the approval from Albanian parliament of constitutional amendments regarding the electoral system, but also expresses regret at the failure to reach compromise with all parties as part of the Political Council.
While we acknowledge the adoption by the Parliament of Albania of some changes to the Constitution concerning the electoral system, it is unfortunate that more time was not dedicated in the preparatory phase to finding a compromise with all parties in the Political Council, the EU ambassador Luigi Soreca says.
The amendments to the electoral code adopted by the Parliament on 23 July to implement the 5 June agreement, based on OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, have fulfilled the condition set by the Council when deciding to open accession negotiations in March.
It is now essential that amendments to electoral code to implement constitutional changes, in particular open lists and role of pre-electoral coalitions, are properly discussed with all political actors in the Political Council in a collaborative and inclusive way before being voted, the EU ambassador Luigi Soreca says.
The German Ambassador, Peter Zingraf called on all actors to cooperate for implementation of the constitutional changes and to honor the June 5 agreement.
“I express my regret that despite the June 5 agreement reached and already incorporated in the law, the electoral reform, which was successfully launched, is again taking on conflicting features through constitutional changes. “I respect the institutional role of the parliament, but at the same time I understand that the June 5 agreement results in legitimate claims for a comprehensive dialogue,” the German ambassador said.
“Therefore, I call on all actors to cooperate for enforcement of constitutional changes to the Electoral Code and to honor the June 5 agreement. In this context, the issues of open lists and the role of pre-election coalitions should be brought up for discussion with all political actors on Political Council in the spirit of inclusion and cooperation, says Zingraf.
Big opportunities and challenges lie ahead of Albania, he said.
“ I will mention the EU accession talks, post-earthquake reconstruction and the efforts to cope with COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath. “In such a situation, clear and transparent rules for the next elections, accepted by all political parties, are essential for the future of the country,” said ambassador Zingraf.
“Electoral reform remains a central element in meeting the conditions formulated by the EU Council (and similarly by the Bundestag) before the First EU Accession Conference and that its successful implementation is one of the conditions of the second group”, says the German ambassador.
The UK ambassador Norman: Amendments to Electoral Code should be discussed at length in Political Council.
The UK Ambassador to our country, Duncan Norman, stated today that the June 5 agreement showed what can be achieved thanks to dialogue, time and political will.
“We would like to have seen the same constructive approach to approving today’s amendments to the Constitution,” he said.
It is essential that next changes to Electoral Code be discussed at length with all parties in Political Council before they are voted by parliament.
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