Recent parliamentary elections in Albania
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 26 June 1996 (21st Sitting) (see Doc. 7587, report by the Political Affairs Committee, rapporteur: Lord Finsberg). Text adopted by the Assembly on 26 June 1996 (21st Sitting).
- Thesaurus
1. The Assembly deplores the violence and the irregularities which have marked the recent parliamentary elections in Albania.
2. Several opposition parties withdrew from the elections at the close of the first polling day. They decided to boycott the second round and the subsequent partial re-elections in seventeen constituencies.
3. The Assembly notes the unanimous report of the observer delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, to the effect that "although the lawfulness of the newly-elected Albanian Parliament cannot be questioned", the credibility of the democratic process has been damaged. The Assembly has considered other reports. The Political Affairs Committee held a hearing of the main Albanian political parties in Strasbourg on 24 June 1996. From information gathered at this hearing, the Assembly finds that, while the government must be held accountable for the violence, both government and opposition share responsibility for the irregularities.
4. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of pluralist democracy. They constitute an essential condition for Council of Europe membership - and a fortiori for participation in the Parliamentary Assembly.
5. Confidence must be restored in Albanian democracy. Reconciliation and dialogue between the political forces are essential. Free expression of the will of all parts of the Albanian population must be guaranteed. Accordingly, the Assembly proposes a "round table" of all political forces to provide the framework for a democratic dialogue between government and opposition. It will be essential, on the basis of full co-operation between all political forces in Albania and the Council of Europe, to change relevant legislation to conform with the recommendations set forth in the OSCE Assembly report and with the commitments entered into by Albania at the time of its accession to the Council of Europe. The political parties should consider new elections after these changes in legislation.
6. The Assembly calls on the Albanian Parliament to assist the above-mentioned process by creating the framework giving priority to legislation implementing OSCE and Council of Europe recommendations, including the amendment or abolition of the law on genocide.
7. The Assembly calls on all political forces in Albania to resume dialogue in order to surmount the current crisis. It is ready to provide a continuing forum for this dialogue.
