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Roundup: Election registration deadline in Albania extended for opposition

Xinhua, May 1, 2017 Adjust font size:

Albania's election authorities have extended for two more days the registration period for candidates for June 18 elections as the final attempt to "convince" opposition enter polls.

Albania's Central Election Commission confirmed Monday that political parties have time until May 3 to register their candidates for the June 18 parliamentary elections.

The previous deadline expired on April 29. The opposition coalition did not register while the Socialist Party (SP), Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) and some other small parties presented their list of candidates.

After submitting list of candidates of SP, Prime Minister Edi Rama voiced confidence that the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) would participate in the June 18 parliamentary elections.

He also expressed readiness to hold talks with DP leader Lulzim Basha to resolve the political deadlock while he warned Basha that if he refused to enter elections, he would take the party into an abyss.

The Albanian opposition has being boycotting parliament since February, insisting on its demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama before the June polls and formation of a caretaker government.

The opposition has also threatened to disrupt voting with "civil disobedience," starting with the by-mayoral elections in Kavaja city on May 7.

DP chairman told reporters Monday that the opposition planned to extend the protests and civil disobedience all across the country.

Basha also issued a strong ultimatum for the Prime Minister, declaring that he had 48 days before the opposition declared a war against what is considered to be the old republic.

Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission has started the verification of decriminalization forms for the candidates that 17 political parties have proposed to be part of elections.

According to the electoral code, the central election commission should approve the list of candidates no later than May 5, 2017.

The list of candidates which will be found with documentation problems will be returned to complete the missing documents, before May 4.

Election body informed Monday that it had set up a special structure to verify all the decriminalization forms and the complete process of verification and accepting or refusing the candidates' lists will end on May 5. Endit