EU's Rehn urges Albanian politicians to work together for successful elections
26/11/2008
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Next year's parliamentary elections are key to Albania's EU integration process, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Tuesday (November 25th) after meeting with Albanian Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha in Brussels. Rehn stressed the government and the opposition must work together and commit to ensuring fair elections, as well as guaranteeing the independence of state institutions.
Also Tuesday, Basha met with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. They discussed the progress of reforms efforts and the consensus reached among various political parties on the recently adopted election code. Albania hopes to join NATO in June, assuming all members ratify its protocol in time.
In other news Tuesday, US Ambassador to Tirana John Withers called for implementation of a provision in the new election code that requires 30% of candidates to be women. At a forum on women in politics, Withers supported their broader participation in the decision-making process via both legislative and executive procedures. (Telegrafi, Albanian Foreign Ministry's official website, BalkanWeb, Alsat - 25/11/08)
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