Austrian newspaper “Der Standard”: “Berisha hides behind Albania’s boycott”

“The DP founder remains the person who leads Basha and the party itself”, the newspaper says, and adds that the radicalization of this situation could lead to violence.

“The Democratic Party received the offer to appoint four technical ministers before the elections, together with the Ombudsman, the Central Election Commission and the Police Chiefs, but they refused it”, the newspaper writes.

“The biggest opposition party has boycotted the Parliament for months, and all efforts of EU, USA and EPP friends failed to convince DP to not withdraw from the democratic battle. Again, the Democratic Party have blocked roads and keep protesting in front of the Prime Minister’s office since February 18th”, Der Standard says.

“They have started an electoral campaign even without being part of the elections”, Der Standards writes, saying that Lulzim Basha declared this Saturday that this is the start of a new republic.

“For the first time since 1991, this party will not go to elections, but the USA and EU will accept the elections, despite the DP boycott”, the article writes.

In the background of this entire crisis there is the judiciary reform, requested specifically by Washington and the EU.

“The situation in Albania is symptomatic for the unstable relations and weakening of US presence in Southeastern Europe, since when Donald Trump took power”, concludes journalist Adelheid Woelf.

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