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Int'l community calls on Albanian citizens to help ensure smooth elections

Xinhua, February 3, 2017 Adjust font size:

Albanian citizens are responsible for influencing their elected officials and furthering democracy in the country, ambassadors of European Union (EU), United States, OSCE and Switzerland to Tirana said Thursday.

Albania will soon hold parliamentary elections and it is of paramount importance for citizens to get organized, to question, to monitor and to participate, EU Ambassador to Albania Romana Vlahutin said.

U.S. Ambassador Donald Lu said if civil society, international partners, and the media were not eagle-eyed, the corrupt may undermine judicial reform and the economy, local media reported.

The head of the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Albania Bernd Borchardt said the agency has made several calls for reforms and progress and now it is the obligation of Albania to address promptly the the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommendations.

Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf encouraged citizens to lobby constructively for higher accountability and transparency in pre-election activities of government and the political parties. Enditem