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The 19th meeting of the Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee is held...
The Socialist Party and the Democratic Party have moved their election fight to Strasbourg. As has always happened, today at the meeting of the Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee, there were accusations between representatives of both camps, in front of Brussels dignitaries.
Jorida Tabaku said that the Assembly has not been able to carry out a complete electoral reform and that the OSCE-ODIHR recommendations have not been implemented.
" The issues raised in the OSCE/ODIHR report are different than ever before. The report talks about violations of the Copenhagen criteria. It talks about the use of public resources. It talks about the influence of the public administration and its involvement in the electoral process. It talks about the use of public funds for elections, but also about the influence of criminal groups in some cities. These were the first elections with open negotiations, and I believe that this was a missed opportunity for Albania. Not only were the Copenhagen criteria violated, but also the Council of Europe guidelines, the European Convention on Human Rights, the framework for national minorities, the ODIHR guidelines on democratic legislation, as well as several other conventions to which Albania is a party ," said Tabaku.
Meanwhile, Gazment Bardhi, during his speech, emphasized that the elections were held in a climate where none of the OSCE-ODIHR findings or recommendations have been reflected for 12 years. He added that the May 11 elections represented a regression and violation of the fundamental principle of elections; freedom and equality in elections.
" On May 11, Albania held general parliamentary elections, in a climate where for 12 years none of the OSCE-ODIHR findings or recommendations for elections in Albania have been reflected. This means that from one electoral process to another, Albania only takes steps backwards. I will not speak here today as a witness to that process. I will not speak with the language of the opposition, but with the findings, language and conclusions of the OSCE-ODIHR preliminary report. There is no progress, no standards, there is regression and violation of the fundamental principle of elections; freedom and equality in elections ," said Bardhi.
The Minister of State, Taulant Balla, reacted to them, saying that Albania is more prepared than ever to become part of the European family. Focusing on the elections, Balla said that according to the opinion of international observers, May 11 was competitive and was managed with professionalism.
" We reiterate the need to start in September and continue with the electoral reform. In the next reform, we must have provisions in the Electoral Code on how members of the European Parliament are elected ," said Balla.
But even though the SP and DP have had their troubles in the elections, Sigrid Brettel, the representative of the European Commission at the Stabilization and Association Committee meeting in Strasbourg, has put a smile on their faces. She has made it clear that for them, the most important element is the reform of the judiciary and especially the fight against corruption. She has praised SPAK and has made it clear to politics that it should not violate its independence.
“ We have 4 open chapters and we are on the verge of the fifth; we are at an unprecedented moment not only from the Albanian side, but also from the EU. The progress on the rule of law has been key to doing this, and in particular, the continuation of the justice reform, as well as the good results of SPAK. Albania should not leave aside the need to continue the reforms in the rule of law, to meet all those comparative and transitional standards, and here the work of the Assembly is key. In September and October, with the new legislature, we expect to have a series of legislative packages, including on anti-corruption work, conflict of interest, media, justice, the legal package for non-magistrate members of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court. You know what is expected of you. We expect these things to be addressed with the new legislature. The justice reform should be an irreversible process, the achievements should be preserved, but consolidated, "The independence of SPAK is preserved. SPAK is the most trusted institution in the country, and I want to emphasize the key role that this institution has played in the negotiations ," she said.
According to her, another important issue is the fight against corruption, organized crime and drug trafficking. The focus here should be on strengthening the chain of rule of law and enforcement, starting from the BKH, the various specializations, but also the integrity and capacities of the police. She then focused on media freedom and elections, where a problem for the EU is the use of state administration by the ruling party. /Pamphlet
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