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Opposition Gains in Albania Deal Blow to Berisha

23 02 2007  Vote sure to stimulate left's appetite for early general election.

By Aleksander Cipa in Tirana (Balkan Insight, 23 Feb 07)

Local elections in Albania last Sunday delivered an upset to the right-of-centre prime minister, Sali Berisha, who has been much blamed for alleged failures to keep his pledges in 18 months of governing.

Votes took place for 384 urban and rural district councils in a contest between Berisha's Democratic Party-led coalition, comprising ten parties, and Edi Rama's five-party, Socialist-led opposition grouping.
 
The left-wing opposition confirmed its predominance in the capital, Tirana, and in most other big cities except Shkodra.
 
Preliminary results, confirmed by the central electoral authorities, showed the left won more than half of the votes overall, while Rama, the current Mayor of Tirana, won the mayor's post for the third time.
 
The government gained support of the poor areas in the north of the country and in two small towns in the south, such as Permet and Tepelena, which were previously seen as left-wing strongholds.
 
Berisha refused to accept defeat, claiming the Democratic-led coalition had won 56 per cent of the votes.
 
His government was also dismayed by international criticism of the handling of the poll - a longstanding concern in foreign capitals.
 
The international community had sent some 400 observers to monitor the process alongside about 3,000 locals.
 
But an International Election Observation Mission, present since mid-December, on Monday said it was disappointed.
 
The vote "represented a missed opportunity to conduct elections fully in line with international commitments and standards for democratic elections", it said.
 
"Election day was calm overall but voting was marred by procedural shortcomings and in some places, tension," added the statement.
 
This contrasted with the government's own verdict. Berisha described the poll as the "best ever held in post-communist Albania".
 
Albania's two big parties, the Socialists and the Democrats, have bitterly contested every election since 1991 in campaigns marred by harsh rhetoric and often ending with one or other party refusing to accept the results.
 
Speaking after the poll, Rama said the forces of the left had won because they had united. However, the victors would respect the voice of the "minority that did not give the vote to the left", he added.
 
"These elections showed the electorate's displeasure over the pledges made by Prime Minister Berisha," said a local analyst, Andrea Stefani.
 
Among the failed pledges Albanians would rank the fight against corruption, where they’ve seen no concrete results, and a recent electricity crisis that has affected their daily life with long power cuts.
 
Another political observer, Mentor Nazarko, said the "undecided electorate" had swung against Berisha.
 
The result showed that swing voters had become a decisive factor in the political landscape, he added.
 
While the two main parties won 92 per cent of the votes outright in 1992, their combined votes now barely totaled 60 per cent.
 
"Such [swing] voters have expressed their disbelief with the 18 months of Berisha's rule," said Nazarko.
 
Fahri Balliu, another analyst, said the government had concentrated too much effort on the business of holding free and fair elections and too little on the actual electorate.
 
"The opposition exploited that very well and won the fruits," said Balliu.
 
Berisha will now have to cope with several challenges.
 
The premier faces the danger of fragmentation on his own side of the political fence while he will now confront a stronger Rama at the head of the opposition.
 
The poll results may also increase the opposition's appetite for an early general election.
 
A government reshuffle is widely expected as the executive tries to show it is tackling shortcomings.
 
Many expect Berisha to pass the blame for the government's losses to ministers instead of accepting it himself.
 
"The Democratic Party will try to correct itself, although the first to be blamed ought to be Berisha," said Nazarko.
 
Stefani agreed. "But it is unlikely Berisha will suffer any personal consequences either in the party or in his post as prime minister," he added.
 
Not everyone accepts Berisha has emerged from recent events without credit.
 
"Berisha has held the most peaceful elections [ever] and has improved the standards [of polls]," said Balliu.
 
Within the opposition, Rama has also strengthened his hand against his rival and predecessor, Fatos Nano, who at one point seemed eager to regain his old post.
 
Rama may now be in a better position to appoint close aides to top positions in the Socialist Party.
 
Earlier, the opposition had indicated that it would push for early elections after June, when a presidential election is due.
 
However, this goal contradicts with the stated wishes of the international community.
 
They do not want a new election until existing party-political squabbles over electoral and civil registers have been sorted out.
 
Diplomats have made it clear the country must not hold new parliamentary elections before there is "a determined effort to establish a reliable system for registration".
 
Stefani said the opposition will have to restrain its desire for an early election for now.
 
"The opposition will be obliged to cooperate closely with the government to create the proper electoral infrastructure, before asking for fresh polls," he said.
 
With its existing electoral infrastructure, a new vote might only destabilise the situation, he added.
 
Aleksander Cipa is a freelance journalist in Tirana. Balkan Insight is BIRN`s online publication.