Albania struggles to elect a president

10/07/2007

As another round of voting for a new president is scheduled for Tuesday evening, the parties remain split. The majority wants the opposition to accept its conditions, while the opposition is pushing for early elections.

By Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana – 10/07/07

Presidential candidate Bamir Topi casts his vote to elect the country's new president in Tirana on Sunday (July 8th). [Getty Images]

Political parties in Albania are struggling to find a consensual president for the country. The second round of voting is scheduled to take place Tuesday evening (July 10th) in parliament. This round, and the last which was held on Sunday night, has two candidates facing off -- the ruling coalition's candidate, Democratic Party (DP) official Bamir Topi, and Former Socialist Party Chairman Fatos Nano.

The first two technical rounds of voting -- held last week -- did not feature candidates, therefore making Tuesday's round the official second vote.

Earlier negotiations between the opposition and the majority brokered a deal that Albania's representative to NATO General Arjan Zaimi would be the joint candidate of the ruling and opposition parties. But the deal fell through after the government insisted the deal include an agreement on reforms, one of which would shorten the mandate of Attorney General Theodhori Sollaku to five years.

Sollaku holds the position for life, and can only be removed by the president. Berisha has accused the chief prosecutor of corruption, and wants him removed from office, a move that current President Alfred Moisiu will not make.

During the deal negotiations, Berisha combined the issue of nominating a consensus president with his own agenda of having Sollaku's term shortened -- a move that drew fire from the opposition. Socialist parliamentary group leader Ben Blushi said that the prime minister was not following protocol when he connected the presidential issue with that of the attorney general's term.

"We did not look for consensus on this issue. When we came to the round table we did not start to negotiate for the attorney general, but for the president. After we found the consensus, we were [presented with the] condition: Give me the attorney general, to get the president," Blushi said.

In Sunday's vote, Topi received 75 votes and Nano received three votes -- the winning candidate needs a majority of 84 votes from the 140-seat parliament. The Socialists, headed by Tirana mayor Edi Rama, boycotted the vote. "The Socialists are switching on their engines for early elections," Rama said after the vote.

If the parliament fails to elect a president in five rounds, the country will be forced to hold general elections within 60 days, according to the constitution. The process must end before July 24th, when Moisiu's term expires.