In his remarks, Balla thanked the organizers for the meeting that touches on an important topic.

Balla stressed that although the Socialist Party has won the elections, co-operation with the opposition is crucial to moving forward on the path to European Union accession.

“Elections are a celebration of democracy,” Balla said, reaffirming the statement of State Department congratulating Prime Minister Rama on his victory in the election and congratulating the opposition on a strong campaign.

However, Balla stressed, it is more important than ever to unite the country and cooperate with all political forces in the interests of the country and the European agenda.

“One test for our democracy is that every political entity must recognize the elections. This aspect continues to be a matter of concern as the only country in Europe and the region where each election is contested.

“The time has come to put this ugly practice to rest,” he said.

Regarding the standards of these elections, Balla quoted the preliminary report of the OSCE / ODIHR observation mission published on 26 April, which stressed that these elections were generally calm and regarding the counting process the report states that it was a fast and transparent process.”

As to the opposition’s concern about the misuse of sensitive data of voters by the Socialist Party, Balla said that this issue is being investigated by SPAK and everyone should wait until this investigation comes to an end.

The International Republican Institute, founded in 1983 and based in Washington DC, is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization committed to advancing democracy and freedom worldwide.

Also in attendance of the online meeting were Jorida Tabaku from DP and Klajda Gjosha from SMI.
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