Census, INSTAT data center inaugurated

The center has the most modern data processing technology, financed by EU. The new mapping system enables INSTAT to identify any building in Albania, while the data are scanned through a modern system that doesn’t allow errors and guarantees confidentiality for the respondents by saving not their identities, but the data they have declared. Prime Minister Berisha and EU Ambassador Sequi gave the highest evaluations for the Census’ standards, which, according to Mr. Sequi, are in full accordance with Eurostat and UN parameters.

“This is an essential act that will enable the Albanian politics and government to be more honest, because it will give precise data about the demography of the districts and regions, data which are indispensable for a fair distribution of the budget revenues throughout the country”, Berisha said.

Sequi declared that 2011 is the year of the Census, because the entire world should answer to the question: “How many are we”?

The questionnaire includes data about the respondents’ ethnicity and religion, but it is up to the citizens if they want to answer to these questions or not.

However, the Red and Black Alliance, led by the Vice Chairman of the High Council of Justice, Kreshnik Spahiu, declared that this is an antipatriotic process. This position has been considered by Prime Minister Berisha not only as atavism, but also a power abuse of the depoliticized role of the HCJ Vice Chairman.

“When this comes from institutions that according to the law and the constitution are depoliticized, this movement can only be called ‘The Shame Alliance’. What concerns me, is the fact that they are misusing the high state duty for personal and cynical purposes”, Berisha declared.

Some days ago, the head of the Red and Black Alliance, Kreshnik Spahiu, declared that Albania needs to fulfill 12 standards for entering EU, and the Albanian government has started to fulfill the 13th, the one set by Athens for population registration on ethnic bases.

“Albania’s integration must pass only through Brussels. Albania cannot leave without fulfilling the 12 recommendations only for fulfilling the caprices of Athens. We must not accept this integration process, because we cannot make compromise with such conditions”, Spahiu declared.

According to him, the national matter cannot be part of the trade, emphasizing that Albania is the only country that doesn’t know how many people live within their borders and how many in emigration.

“For the Albanians, USA and EU are more important than Athens. Today, more then ever, we must be clear of what will be negotiated and what not”, Spahiu declared, adding that Wikileaks revealed Athens’ real face.

Muslim Community: Monitoring population registration

Well-known clerics and Muslim theologians from Elbasan demanded through a petition to monitor the process of population registration.

They asked the government to guarantee maximal transparency for the population registration on ethnic and religious bases. The Muslim Community in Elbasan warned through this petition of boycotting the process in case of irregularities, not only in Elbasan, but in the entire country.

Other clerics also appealed for performing this process with greatest responsibility.

Serbia: Census to be postponed

Serbia supports the postponement of the population registration in Albania, due to the Serbian community that is thought to live in Albania.

Alexander Cotoric, Vice Chairman of the Council for the Relations with Serbians Abroad declared that will ask the Parliament and Government to support the request of the minorities for postponing the population registration.

According to him, these laws and regulations are discriminating, since the minorities in Albania have had a behavior without pretenses. 

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