Local elections in Albania 2011

On May 8, 2011, nationwide local elections were held in Albania . The mayors of the 66 Bashkia (municipalities) and 285 Komuna (rural municipalities) as well as the municipal councils ( Këshilli bashkiak ) in the Bashkia were elected . The last local elections were held on February 18, 2007, with the socialists winning. The election cycle is regulated every four years.

The two coalitions Aleanca për Ardhmërinë ( ApA for short ) and Aleanca për Qytetarin ( ApQ ) competed against each other. The ApA was led by the Socialist Party (PS for short), the ApQ by the Democratic Party (PD).

The ApQ became the winning coalition nationwide by 70,000 votes. She was able to win in the capital region and in the rural communities. The ApA recorded narrow victories, especially in the cities. The turnout nationwide was 51 percent.

Election campaign

The official election campaign began on April 8, 2011, one month before the elections - as stipulated in the Albanian constitution . It was mostly characterized by allegations and accusations between the two camps. Both Democrats and Socialists went into the election campaign with many promises and individual projects.

The election campaign between Edi Rama (socialist leader and mayor of Tirana) and Lulzim Basha (candidate of the PD) for the position of mayor of Tirana differed so significantly:

Rama led a rather negative election campaign. Since the Democrats came to power in 2005, he has demonized the Democrat boss Sali Berisha and his candidate Basha. Rama polarized the election campaign considerably.

Basha led a more factual campaign. He came up with many plans for the city's development and future. Rama then rather involuntarily followed suit with such projects. But he couldn't explain why he hadn't realized such plans during his tenure.

Parties and coalitions standing for election

Official logo of the Central Election Commission

In total, the Central Election Commission ( Albanian Komisioni Qëndror i Zgjedhjeve ) ran 56 political parties and movements. The majority was combined in the two coalitions Aleanca për Qytetarin of government partners and the opposition Aleanca për të Ardhmen .

number	Name of the party (alb.)	acronym	Party leader	coalition
1	Lidhja Demokristiane Shqiptare	LDK	Nikoll Lesi	ApQ
2	Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë	PD	Sali Berisha	ApQ
3	Lëvizja për Drejtësi e Shqiptarëve	LDSH	Astrite Kosturi	-
4th	Partia Aleanca Kombëtare	PAH	Krenar Tahiri	-
5	Partia Minoriteti Etnik Grek për të Ardhmen	MEGA	Kristo Kico	-
6th	Partia Ora e Shqipërisë	POSH	Zef Shtjefni	ApQ
7th	Partia Lëvizja e Legalitetit	PLL	Ekrem Spahiu	ApQ
8th	Partia të Drejtave të Mohuara e Re	PDM e Re	Fatmir Hoxha	ApQ
9	Partia Personat me Aftësi të Kufizuar	PPAK	Afrim Jeshili	ApQ
10	Bashkimi Liberal Democracy	BLD	Arjan Starova	ApQ
11	Partia Balli Kombëtar	PBK	Adriatic Alimadhi	ApQ
12	Aleanca Demokratike	AD	Neritan Ceka	ApQ
13	Partia Balli Kombëtar Democrat	PBKD	Artur Roshi	ApQ
14th	Partia Komuniste e Shqipërisë	PKSH	Hysni Milloshi	-
15th	Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë e Riorganizuar	PPSHR	Marko Dajti	ApA
16	Partia Aleanca Popullore	PAP	Fatjon Softa	ApQ
17th	Partia për Zhvillim Kombëtar	LZHK	Dashamir Shehi	-
18th	Partia Agrare Ambjentaliste e Shqipërisë	PAA	Air Xhuveli	ApQ
19th	Partia conservators	PKONS	Armando Ruco	ApQ
20th	Partia Bashkimi Democrat Shqiptar	PBD	Ylber Valteri	ApA
21st	Partia Republikane Shqiptare	PR	Fatmir Mediu	ApQ
22nd	Partia Bashkimi Republican Shqiptar	PBR	Zane Llazi	ApA
23	Partia Aleanca e Maqedonasve për Integrimin Europian	AMIE	Edmond Themelko	ApQ
24	Lëvizja Socialiste për Integrim	LSI	Ilir Meta	ApQ
25th	Partia Lëvizja Punëtore Shqiptare	PLPSH	Shefqet Musaraj	-
26th	Partia për Drejtësi, Integrim dhe Unitet	PDIU	Shpëtim Idrizi	ApQ
27	Partia për Mbrojtjen e të Drejtave të Punëtorve të Shqipërisë	PMDPSH	Kadri Isufaj	ApA
28	Partia Ardhmëria Shqiptare	PASH	Emin Subashi	ApA
29	Partia Reformatore Demokratike	PRDSH	Skender Halili	ApA
30th	Partia Aleanca Demokristiane	ADK	Zef Bushati	ApQ
31	Partia Demokrat për Integrim e Prosperitet	PDIP	Halim Seitaj	ApA
32	Partia Socialiste e Moderuar	PSM	Gjergj Koja	ApA
33	Partia Demokristiane e Shqipërisë	PDK	Nard Ndoka	ApA
34	Partia e Çështjeve Shqiptare	PÇSH	Bujar Shurdhi	-
35	Partia Demokracia e Re Europiane	PDRE	Koci Tahiri	ApQ
36	Partia e Pajtimit Kombëtar	PPK	Spartak Dobi	ApA
37	Partia Aleanca Arbnore Kombëtare	AAK	Gjet Ndoj	ApA
38	Partia e Unitetit Kombëtar	PUK	Idajet Beqiri	ApA
39	Partia e Gjelbër	PGJ	Edlir Petanaj	ApA
40	Partia Mendimi i Djathtë Liberal	MDL	Laureta Lici	-
41	Partia Demokracia Sociale	PDS	Paskal Milo	ApA
42	Aleanca për Mirëqenie dhe Solidaritet	AMS	Koco Danaj	-
43	Partia Kristian Demokrate e Shqipërisë	PKDSH	Zef Lleshaj	-
44	Aleanca Europiane Ekologjike	AEE	Sazan Guri	ApQ
45	Partia Demokratike e Bashkimit Mysliman të Shqiperisë	PDBMSH	Sabri Jacaj	ApA
46	Partia Aleanca për Demokraci dhe Solidaritet	ADS	Gaqo Apostoli	ApQ
47	Partia Social Democrats	Psd	Skender Gjinushi	ApA
48	Partia Bashkimi Popullor i Pensionistëve Shqiptar	PBPPSH	Selami Jenishehri	ApA
49	Partia për Mbrojtjen e të Drejtave të Emigrantëve	PMDE	Ymer Kurti	ApA
50	Partia Socialiste e Vërtetë 91	PSV 91	Petro Koçi	ApA
51	Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë	PSSH	Edi Rama	ApA
52	Partia Ligj dhe Drejtësi	PLiDr	Spartak Ngjela	ApA
53	Partia Rruga e Lirisë	PRRL	Shukrane Muda	ApA
54	Partia Bashkimi për të Drejtat e Njeriut	PBDNJ	Vangjel Dule	-
55	Partia G99	G99	Ervin Mete	ApA
56	Partia Toleranca e Re e Shqipërisë	PTR	Avdi Keci	ApA

↑ "APQ" for për Aleanca Qytetarin , "ApA" for për të Aleanca Ardhmen

Incidents

The elections and the campaign were overshadowed by some incidents on both sides. On April 18, for example, two Socialist Party sympathizers were injured in Sukth near Durrës by gunfire from a Democratic Party sympathizer. But the Democrats were also victims of a few assassinations: the PD candidate for the mayor's office of Dajti narrowly escaped a fatal attack with a rifle by a socialist supporter.

Ballot box

Flags of Albania and the Democratic Party in a village in Durrës district on the occasion of the elections

Although Prime Minister Sali Berisha described the elections as "worthy and free", supporters of the opposition and individual observers reported some incidents, among others. One observer criticized the fact that supporters of the Democratic Party had harassed voters and sometimes forced them to vote. According to Berisha, the government will accept the results of the elections without exception, and he also demanded the same from his opponent Edi Rama. On the whole, however, the 2011 local elections went without major incidents. Many politicians, especially democrats but also individual members of the Socialist Party, rated the elections as the best so far in the history of Albania.

Vote counting

The first results were announced the next day. More results followed over the next few days.

The count was quick in most voting centers. However, many counting interruptions have been reported in some polling locations such as Tirana , Durrës and Shkodra .

Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE for short ) - the official election observer - published a preliminary report on the elections. Another all-encompassing one followed in the summer of 2011. In it, the international mission called on Albania to reform the electoral law in order to avoid future incidents.

Results of the mayoral elections

Results of the mayoral elections according to district capitals:

Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë (PD)

Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë (PS)

According to the Central Electoral Commission ( Albanian Komisioni Qëndror i Zgjedhjeve , or KQZ for short ), the socialists won 37 municipalities, including the larger cities mainly in the south of the country such as Durrës , Elbasan , Vlora , Korça , Gjirokastra , Fier and Saranda . The Democrats won in 28 urban communities, including Bulqiza , Peshkopia , Kruja , Kukës , Lezha , Puka , Delvina and, as usual, Shkodra . Since the PS was able to win mainly in cities and thus win more votes, it is seen as the winner of the parties in the local elections, but in the coalition distribution, the Democrats won with 70,000 votes.

The following table lists the former ruling party and the 2011 victorious party:

circle	District capital	Name of the winning party	Former party of the old mayor
Malësia e Madhe	Koplik	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Shkodra	Shkodra	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Tropoja	Bajram Curr	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Has	Kruma	Socialist party	Democratic Party
Puka	Puka	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Kukës	Kukës	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Mirdita	Rrëshen	Socialist party	Democratic Party
Lezha	Lezha	Socialist movement for integration	Socialist movement for integration
Kurbin	Laç	Socialist party	Democratic Party
Mat	Burrel	Socialist party	Democratic Party
Dibra	Peshkopia	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Bulqiza	Bulqiza	Democratic Party	Socialist party
Tirana	Tirana	Democratic Party	Socialist party
Kruja	Kruja	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Durrës	Durrës	Socialist party	Socialist party
Kavaja	Kavaja	Socialist party	Democratic Party
Peqin	Peqin	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Elbasan	Elbasan	Socialist party	Socialist party
Librazhd	Librazhd	Democratic Party	Socialist party
Pogradec	Pogradec	Socialist party	Socialist party
Gramsh	Gramsh	Socialist party	Democratic Party
Advises	Advises	Socialist party	Socialist party
Kuçova	Kuçova	Socialist party	Socialist party
Lushnja	Lushnja	Socialist party	Socialist party
Fier	Fier	Socialist party	Socialist party
Mallakastra	Ballsh	Socialist party	Socialist party
Vlora	Vlora	Socialist party	Socialist party
Tepelena	Tepelena	Socialist party	Socialist party
Skrapar	Çorovoda	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Korça	Korça	Socialist party	Socialist party
Devil	Bilisht	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Kolonja	Erseka	Socialist party	Socialist party
Përmet	Përmet	Socialist party	Socialist party
Gjirokastra	Gjirokastra	Socialist party	Socialist party
Delvina	Delvina	Democratic Party	Democratic Party
Saranda	Saranda	Socialist party	Socialist party

Source:

Odyssey of Tirana

Contradictory first results

In the capital Tirana, the PD and PS candidates fought a tough head-to-head race. The counting of votes in Tirana ended on the afternoon of May 14, almost a week after the elections. According to the results of the private broadcaster Top Channel , Edi Rama (PS) was confirmed for a fourth term of office with a very narrow lead of only ten votes over the opposing candidate Lulzim Basha (PD): 124,597 Tirans voted for Rama and 124,587 for Basha. Rama went public on the same day and declared himself the winner of the elections. Basha, on the other hand, wanted to wait for the final result of the commission and then accept the falling judgment. Other private broadcasters and Democratic Party censuses, however, came up with different results, which made Basha the winner.

Delay in the final results by the KQZ

Since the end of the vote count in Tirana on May 14th, the publication of the official election results has been delayed by the KQZ. The government-dominated commission came under great pressure; The head of government, the head of the opposition and the head of state called for this institution to work more quickly. Due to the lack of clarity about the outcome of the election and the not exactly uncritical way in which the KQZ worked, there were numerous protests in front of the main building of the KQZ in the week after May 14th. Police forces and supporters confronted each other, and even members of parliament from the opposition, who were heavily criticized for this. Above all, the decision on the invalid ballot paper ( see below ) was sharply criticized (especially by the opposition). The European Union called for a clearer law on the use of invalid ballot papers.

Basha according to KQZ winner in Tirana

On May 19, five days after the end of the vote count, the commission decided that ballot papers that had previously been invalid and that had been placed in the wrong ballot boxes were valid. After their count, on May 23, she declared the candidate of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, the winner of the mayoral elections in Tirana by 81 votes. The commission approved his final overall result by four to three votes. However, this did not mean the end of this downright odyssey .

PS charges against the result

On the same day as the final result of the KQZ was announced, the socialists declared that they would not accept the result and would take legal action against the decision of the commission. The Socialist Party brought charges against the decision at the electoral court ( Albanian Kolegji Zgjedhor ), but this was rejected and Basha declared as the rightful winner of the elections in Tirana. However, the PS quickly renewed another charge of the result for Tirana, the response of which became known on June 13, 2011.

Electoral court calls for recount, Basha not mayor for the time being

According to this court decision, the opening of some ballot boxes and thus the counting of other ballot papers was not illegal, but the electoral court asked the KQZ to recount all the ballot boxes for the mayoral election in Tirana. Meanwhile, Sali Berisha's PD criticized Edi Rama for his harsh behavior against the country's legal institutions. Rama's remark that the court did not have the courage to let justice speak is completely unacceptable and does not belong on the political stage. Rama should no longer exert pressure on the institutions of the state. In addition, his demands are very confused, on the one hand he calls for the opening of the ballot boxes for the parliamentary elections in 2009, on the other hand he declares the court decision to open the ballot boxes in Tirana as cannibalism . The party chairman of the PD's coalition partner, Ilir Meta , declared the court decision to be legal.

Recount brings Basha as the winner

On June 23, the Central Election Commission ended the new counting of votes, which had become necessary after the court decision of June 13. According to initial reports, the KQZ holds the Democrat Basha as the winner, but now with 95 votes more than his rival candidate Rama. However, this count was also accompanied by irregularities. The socialist observers discovered that some ballot boxes had been broken open by force and that they had some openings through which ballot papers could be easily removed and inserted. The Democrats, in turn, described the process as dignified and properly carried out. The official announcement of the winner by the KQZ is expected on the evening of June 25th.

Blendi Klosi , MP for the Socialists, described the mayoral elections in the capital as invalid in a media release on June 25:

“ The Socialist Party and the united opposition convince that the victory on May 8th belongs to Edi Rama, and convince that the victory of Edi Rama was a magnificent victory over the" machinery of government ", and convince that Sali Berisha and Arben Ristani ( KQZ President) destroyed these elections to hide their loss in Tirana and throughout Albania, will demand the total invalidity of this "election massacre". "

Klosi said there was enough evidence to prove the falsification of these elections in Tirana.

" Changed laws, missing laws, ballot papers outside of the ballot paper, inserted into the split ballot boxes in the basement of the KQZ. Slips of paper that have flown miles from one polling station to another through the criminal hands of the servants of the servant Ristani. The codes and numbers of the votes that do not comply with the protocols and the broken and destroyed ballot boxes best show the extent of the manipulation of the will of the citizens in Tirana. "

According to inner-party circles, the socialists will now file a third and arguably final charge with the electoral court. According to the law, this can be done within three days of the results being announced by the KQZ. The electoral court then has ten days to reject the charge or to approve it. It is likely that it will demand a repeat of the local elections in the capital. The charges will include, among other things, the mismatch in the number of voters and the number of ballots. So 870 more ballots came out than there are voters.

Reasons to vote out Rama

Thus, according to the KQZ, Basha replaces the socialist boss Rama after eleven years of local government. According to a report by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the most important reason for his being voted out was the broad dissatisfaction of the capital's citizens. So they complained about inadequate sewage, garbage and water supply, unsolved traffic problems, lack of binding development, traffic and investment plans, inadequate service and offers from the city administration, inflated city administration, not transparent financial situation of the city and uncertainty of the citizens about the Use of their tax money.

Web links

Wikinews: Local Elections in Albania - News

Central Electoral Commission: Results
Interactive Map: Key Races in Albania's 2011 Local Elections on balkaninsight.com (English), accessed on May 11, 2011
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: The results of the local elections of May 8th, 2011 in Albania (PDF; 76 kB)
Deutsche Welle of June 10, 2011: Albania between dispute and protests

Individual evidence

↑ Zgjedhjet local në Shqipëri më 8 maj 2011 ( "Local elections in Albania on May 8, 2011"). koha.net, September 6, 2010, accessed April 18, 2011 (Albanian).

^ Republic of Albania, Local Elections, February 18. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, June 5, 2007, accessed April 18, 2011 .

↑ Regjistri i partive ( "party Register"). (No longer available online.) Komisioni Qendror i Zgjedhjeve ("Central Electoral Commission"), formerly in the original ; Retrieved April 19, 2011 (Albanian). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / new1.cec.org.al