Albania risks EU membership

11/06/2011 15:25

“A mayoral vote gone awry threatens Albania’s EU membership bid.” This
time, the political developments Albania have attracted the attention of
“Christian Science Monitor”, which says that tension in our country has peaked.

“As Albania’s two-year
political crisis risks spiraling out of control, the opposition is now
calling for international intervention. Edi Rama, the maverick head of
the Socialist Party (PS), called for urgent help to prevent the crisis
from “turning into a time bomb for our country’s future””, the online article quotes.

“The local elections in May were meant to help break Albania’s political deadlock and mark a new stride forward in the country’s progress toward European Union membership, but have done quite the opposite. Albania remains one of Europe’s poorest coustill scarred by the legacy of eccentric Stalinist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, who led the country to a hermetic diplomatic and economic isolation. Transition since the fall of communism in 1991 has been exceptionally difficult, and the country came to the brink of civil war during unrest in 1997 during which 3,000 to 4,000 people died; divisions from that time and indeed decades before are to an extent reflected in the current political situation”, says Christian Science Monitor.

“Albania’s backsliding over the past two years has caused serious concerns for its NATO allies and the EU, but the international community is currently wary of stepping in directly to an internecine Balkan fracas. Initial results from the May 8 election suggested that Rama had won a fourth term as mayor by a wafer-thin margin of 10 votes. However, complications swiftly emerged. Overall, the countrywide local polls were seen as a great success for the PS, which made gains countrywide, including winning several traditional PD bastions in the north”, the online articles adds.

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