Arvizu: no to violence during campaign

After meeting the Mayor of Fier, Arvizu underlined the significance of cooperation between central and local governments, adding that the tendency that Albania should follow is that of transferring more power from central to local governments.

Arvizu also commented on the election process and the election campaign. He declared that there are understandable concerns on the process integrity, and on this he mentioned the considerable presence of foreign observers that will follow this process.

“There is an understandable concern on the election process integrity. I think that there have been improvements with the years, but it is clear that further improvements are very necessary.  As you have been informed, the team that will observe the elections in Albania has started to arrive. They will work closely with Election Central Commission and both political parties. I will meet many of these observers this evening, but we all desire collaboration in order to have open, honest and transparent elections.  I know that there have been incidents regarding the election campaign. Clearly, violence should have no role on democratic elections. It is understandable that people have their preferences and they are happy to express them. I think that this is good, but I would like to ask to those people to not express it with more enthusiasm than needed”, Arvizu declared.

Asked about Albania’s frequent need for international interventions on their conflicts, Arvizu answered:

“I can speak only on USA’s behalf. Obviously, we want the best for this country. No one in the international community has the interest to serve as mediator or referee. Think it as a football match with a referee who has to have a lot of red cards. Albanians should solve these problems by themselves. But this doesn’t mean that the international community is not interested or concerned. We are interested and concerned, and we will offer our help within our possibilities. But believe me, the government and the structures of the Albanian state are strong enough to fulfill this by themselves”, Arvizu emphasized.

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