Political crisis in Albania 2009–2013

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Prime Minister Sali Berisha (2008)
Opposition leader Edi Rama (2008)

The political crisis in Albania from 2009 to 2013 began after the Albanian parliamentary elections in June 2009 . It was marked by clashes between the Democratic Party (PD) of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the opposition Socialist Party (PS). This accused Berisha of electoral manipulation and then - with a few interruptions - boycotted parliament. After Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta had to resign in January 2011 as a result of a corruption affair, the protests of the opposition intensified into mass demonstrations, some of which were accompanied by bloody riots. After the local elections on May 8, 2011 , the situation barely improved. One month after the elections, there was still "fighting" for the mayor of the capital Tirana . After the socialists did not accept the results of the election commission - not the incumbent and socialist leader Edi Rama , but the democratic candidate Lulzim Basha had won the elections - the opposition members took the commission's decision to court with an indictment at the electoral court, which was rejected . Overall, the political landscape in Albania has been paralyzed since June 2009, which is why any EU integration efforts have been blocked ( see: Albania and the European Union ).

On 5 September 2011, the Parliament held its new session together, this time with the opposition ( more below ). With this, the socialists put an end to the boycott of the country's legislative body, which had continued with a few interruptions since the summer of 2009. As a result, the situation normalized. The crisis has ended at the latest since the parliamentary elections in Albania in 2013 , which went off without any problems and led to an orderly change of government.

background

Since December 1990, since the Labor Party of Albania (PAA) and other parties have been approved in Albania , the most important parties have been the Democratic Party (PD), the first newly founded party, and the Socialist Party (PS), the successor to the PAA. The leading head of the Democrats is their party president Sali Berisha, who was head of state in the 1990s and was elected prime minister of the country in 2005. The current leader of the socialists is Edi Rama , mayor of Tirana since 2000 (twice re-elected).

Observers criticize the lack of political culture in this situation based on power politics: the lack of willingness to discuss, hateful disputes and black and white painting have  repeatedly blocked the country's political system . Violent clashes repeatedly led the country to the brink.

Even in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in the summer of 2009, the dialogue was marked by sharp disputes between the main competitors Berisha and Rama.

course

Controversial parliamentary elections in 2009

After the parliamentary elections on June 28, 2009, from which Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party emerged victorious, the opposition accused the prime minister and his government of election fraud . The Democrats also emerged victorious from the election because Ilir Meta's party Lëvizja Socialiste për Integrim changed sides at short notice and formed a coalition with them.

The opposition asked for controversial ballot boxes to be recounted. However, the government pointed out that international observers the election as had referred to "properly" and in the stages of appeal had not seen sufficient evidence, the Albanian courts. Since the socialists under their chairman Rama continued to insist on transparency, they did not move into parliament for the time being. They only partially ended their boycott in February 2010: However, they refuse to cooperate on laws that require a 3/5 majority, and thus block the reforms that are of great importance for Albania. They only took part in individual parliamentary sessions for a short period.

Hunger strike 2010

Socialist Party hunger strikers camp on Tirana's main boulevard in May 2010

On May 1, 2010, 22 socialist MPs and around two hundred supporters went on a hunger strike . The strikers camped in front of government buildings on Tirana's main boulevard, Bulevardi i Dëshmorëve . The strike did not end until May 24th after Berisha agreed to publish some controversial election data.

Berisha and Rama had previously met with the two largest political group leaders in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on May 20, 2010, without a solution being found.

Burning the ballot boxes

On December 27, 2010, the parliament rejected the idea of ​​the socialists to set up a parliamentary commission of inquiry. The further fate of the ballot boxes was decided on December 29th in a meeting of the Central Election Commission (Alb. Komisioni Qendror i Zgjedhjeve , short KQZ ). It was agreed that the ballot papers should be burned so that the ballot boxes could be used for the municipal elections in May 2011. The elimination process was completed by March 5th. The socialists sharply criticized this process.

Corruption allegations against Ilir Meta

Ilir Meta on a recording from 2000

On January 14, 2011, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs, Trade and Energy Ilir Meta ( LSI ) announced his resignation. The reason he gave was to enable the public prosecutor to initiate a criminal investigation against him. Because two days earlier, the satirical program Fiks Fare had published a video on the television broadcaster Top Channel that shows him together with his partisan Dritan Prifti trying to manipulate a public tender for the construction of a hydropower plant. At the same time he will start a legal, criminal and civil "battle" against Prifti to prove his innocence and the manipulation of the video. A year later, on January 16, 2012, the Supreme Court acquitted him of the allegation of corruption in the absence of evidence, as the secretly recorded video was rejected as evidence.

Shortly after his resignation in mid-2011, the ministerial seats were redistributed by the LSI and confirmed by the government and the president: Edmond Haxhinasto became deputy prime minister in addition to his position as foreign minister and Nasip Naço became the new minister for economy, trade and energy. After this publication, the Socialist Party changed its strategy. She now wants to overthrow the government with mass demonstrations and thus with violence.

Protests in January 2011

Burning cars in front of the Council of Ministers in Tirana on January 21, 2011

The protests reached their preliminary climax on January 21, 2011, when a demonstration with over 20,000 participants escalated in downtown Tirana and at least three opposition members were shot. There were around 46 police officers injured. The security forces arrested 113 people. The demonstrators had previously set fire to several cars and tried to storm Prime Minister Berisha's headquarters. President Bamir Topi called for calm.

Police officers during the protests on the main boulevard

After the protest, the government and the opposition blamed each other for the deaths. The public prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants against six high-ranking members of the Republican Guard ( Albanian  Garda e Republikës ) for killing and violation of authority . Berisha therefore accused the Attorney General Ina Rama of carrying out a second coup . As a result, the police and government had still not complied with the arrest warrants a week later. At the request of the prosecutor, US FBI experts helped investigate the deaths on the spot on January 21. On January 24, 2011, the Albanian Parliament set up a commission of inquiry, but without socialists, to investigate the incidents. Meanwhile, the Tiranas District Court sentenced 27 arrested demonstrators to 20 days in prison.

A Democratic demonstration against violence announced for January 26th was not carried out after Berisha met EU envoy Miroslav Lajčák ; Berisha wanted to accommodate the opposition. At the beginning of February 2011, the PS resumed its protests, which were less time-consuming and intensive than those of January 21.

Local elections 2011

On May 8, 2011, local elections were finally held, which were also influenced by the tense situation. Nationwide, the socialists were the winners, and the Democrats suffered numerous defeats, even in some of their strongholds. In Tirana, Rama and his challenger Lulzim Basha had a real fiasco: After Rama had declared himself the winner after the counting of votes, the KQZ corrected the result in favor of Bashas, ​​who won the election with 81 votes. However, the socialists did not accept the commission's decision and took an action against him at the electoral court, which was rejected. This decision also left the socialists indifferent. The Democrats charged them with pressure against the court.

End of the boycott

On May 26, 2011, the first parliamentary sessions began after a two-month break. The Socialist Party stated that it had no intention of returning to parliament. Two MPs, Andis Harasani and Kastriot Islami , did not follow this boycott . They wanted to finally put an end to the political paralysis and fulfill their task as members of the people.

On July 2, 2011, over two years after the parliamentary elections in June 2009, Socialist Party leader Edi Rama declared that his party was ready to return to the Albanian parliament and thus end the boycott. According to Rama, this is intended to counteract the deepening of the political crisis in the country. Many internal party discussions preceded the end of the boycott.

On September 1, 2011, Chairman Edi Rama announced that his party would be present on September 5 for the start of the new parliamentary session. The end of the boycott affects not only parliament but also parliamentary commissions. Edi Rama appeared for the first time since he had to hand over the city administration to his rival Lulzim Basha . With this declaration, the boycott officially came to an end after more than two years.

On September 5, parliament met for its new session, this time with the opposition. In the current legislative period, important, long-deferred decisions were pending for the country, for which the participation of the opposition was important: Parliament had to push through a reform of the electoral law after the OSCE - ODIHR and the Venice Commission complained about deficiencies in Albania's electoral system. The twelve EU admission criteria should also be processed.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Daniel origin: Albania's blocked reappraisal of history . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . January 5, 2011 ( article on NZZonline ).
  2. ↑ Berisha's election victory officially confirmed. Retrieved November 22, 2011 .
  3. ↑ Socialists do not want to accept election defeats. Retrieved November 22, 2011 .
  4. ^ A b Socialists want to boycott the new parliament. Retrieved November 22, 2011 .
  5. ↑ OSCE report is positive. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  6. ^ Socialists end boycott 02/26/2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  7. ^ Opposition started a hunger strike. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  8. ↑ Mbyllet greva e urisë. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  9. ↑ EU mediators are trying to save Albania from political chaos. Retrieved January 23, 2016 .
  10. ↑ Bie kërkesa e opozitës për Komision Hetimor. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  11. ↑ Debate për të djegien e fletëve votimit. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  12. ↑ Ilir Meta jep dorëheqje. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  13. ↑ Albanian court acquitted former prime ministers. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung online. January 16, 2012, accessed January 17, 2012 .
  14. ↑ Vilma Filaj-Ballvora: “Culture of Impunity” in Albania. In: Deutsche Welle. January 21, 2012, accessed January 30, 2012 .
  15. ↑ LSI: Naço e Haxhinasto, në postet e Metës. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  16. ↑ Opozita shqiptare ndryshon axhendën. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  17. ↑ Deaths in violent protests in Albania. Retrieved January 21, 2011 .
  18. ↑ At least three dead in riots in Tirana. Retrieved September 6, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Policia: Arrestuam në flagrancë 113 protestues. Retrieved January 22, 2011 .
  20. ↑ At least three dead in protests against Albania's government. Retrieved January 21, 2011 .
  21. ↑ Dead in protests against the government. Retrieved January 21, 2011 .
  22. ↑ Maxhoranca e opozita akuza reciproke për dhunë. January 22, 2011, accessed January 23, 2011 .
  23. ↑ Berisha: "Coup will never be successful". In: The Standard . January 25, 2011, accessed January 27, 2011 .
  24. ↑ a b Thomas Fuster: Increased pressure on Albania . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . January 28, 2011, p. 7 .
  25. ↑ 21 janari, FBI merr në dorë hetimin. Verifikim armëve të gardës. In: ALSAT . January 27, 2011, archived from the original on January 30, 2011 ; Retrieved January 27, 2011 (Albanian).
  26. ↑ Hetim Ramës, prokurores dhe SHISH. In: Top Channel . January 24, 2011, accessed January 24, 2011 .
  27. ↑ 27 persona dënohen me nga 20 ditë burg. January 24, 2011, accessed January 24, 2011 .
  28. ↑ Manifestimi i së shtunës, Berisha: Po shqyrtojmë mundësinë e anullimit. In: ALSAT . January 25, 2011, archived from the original ; Retrieved January 27, 2011 (Albanian).
  29. ^ AFP : Albanian opposition demonstrates again against Berisha. In: Germany Today. February 4, 2011, accessed February 11, 2011 .
  30. ↑ PS bojkoton parlamentin, Islami dhe Harasani thyejnë vendimin. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 31, 2011 ; Retrieved May 27, 2011 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.shekulli.com.al
  31. ↑ PS: Rikthehemi në parliament. Top Channel , July 2, 2011, accessed July 2, 2011 (Albanian).
  32. ↑ Fejzi Braushi: PS vendos rikthimin në Kuvend, Ja projekti për opozitën ndryshe. Mapo Online, September 1, 2011, accessed on September 1, 2011 (Albanian, The PS decides to return to parliament, here the new project for the changed opposition).
  33. ↑ Kuvendi, nis sesioni i ri. Top Channel , September 5, 2011, accessed September 5, 2011 (Albanian).