Thousands of opposition Socialist activists have rallied in the Albanian capital Tirana, demanding transparency in last year’s general election.
The political turmoil is threatening Albania’s bid to join the European Union, as the BBC’s Mark Lowen reports.
Arben Ahmetaj perches on his temporary bed. With a collapsible base and thin mattress, it stands next to some 200 others, affording him little privacy. His only nourishment is bottled water; his entertainment a backgammon set.
It is not quite the usual level of comfort enjoyed by this Socialist Party MP but, he admits, these are “drastic times”.
He is one of those now on hunger strike in the centre of Tirana, camped out directly beneath the office window of Albania’s Prime Minister, Sali Berisha.
The Socialist-led opposition are protesting at what they say was a stolen general election last June, when the governing Democrats, led by Mr Berisha, were returned to office with a slim majority.
Street politics
Vast crowds took to the streets of Tirana last week - the organisers say 200,000 took part, although the police give a far lower estimate - chanting slogans against the prime minister. As the protests died down, the hunger strike began.
“We’ve tried all other legal and political means but have now been pushed to this point,” says Arben. “We will continue until we collapse. And if I had the choice I’d even go further.”
Last year’s election was seen as critical for Albania’s democratic credentials as it strives for EU membership.
The observer mission’s verdict was mixed: an improvement on past polls, it still failed to meet all international standards, like every election here since the fall of one-party communist rule in 1991. The Socialists say they have evidence of fraud and are demanding that the ballot boxes be reopened.
They have held regular street protests and boycotted parliament for several months, paralysing political life and raising anxious voices in Brussels. The EU’s Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule, says the deadlock risks damaging Albania’s candidacy.
Demanding transparency
In his brightly-painted office, the Socialist leader and mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama, cuts a commanding figure. At almost two metres tall, this former basketball player and artist tells me it is time for Albania to hold elections “like the Nato member it is and like a country knocking on the door of the European Union”.
“The government has stolen the election. They should open the boxes and allow transparency. Otherwise they should go,” he says.
The Socialist leader denies his party’s actions are to blame for the political instability.
“There is not a crisis because we are protesting; we are protesting because there is a crisis,” Mr Rama maintains.
“Albania is going through a deep crisis because it lacks the rule of law, an independent judiciary and freedom of the media. I don’t think if we stop protesting the problem is solved - it’s just less visible to Brussels.”
But the Democratic Party dismisses the Socialists’ allegations and says reopening the ballot boxes is against the constitution.
Government ‘flexible’
Mr Berisha used a May Day gathering 300 metres from the hunger strikers to set out his government’s successes - from joining Nato to preparing Albania for visa-free travel to most of the EU, which the country hopes to gain soon.
The Interior Minister, Lulzim Basha, insists the government has “bent over backwards” to offer the Socialists every concession within the framework of the constitution.
“Our laws state there will be no recount unless a dispute has arisen during the counting process,” he says, denying that his party has anything to hide. “The stalemate is hurting Albania,” he adds, “and this government is fully committed to engaging with the opposition to find a solution. But it takes two to tango”.
Entrenched poverty
But beyond the political wrangling, the wave of discontent here runs far deeper. Although Albania has weathered the financial crisis better than its neighbours - its economy is still expected to grow by around 2% this year - the country remains one of Europe’s poorest, with annual salaries a tenth of the European average.
In the market area of Tirana, stalls line the streets with anything from shower-heads to television aerials.
Naim, 48, sells kitchen appliances, but business is slow. He sits outside, slitting open the fresh sardines he’s bought for lunch. “Things can’t get any worse,” he says, removing the backbone of the next fish. “We just have to wait for better times.”
The effects of Greece’s economic woes are now also being felt here, adding to the impact of the global recession. The clothes-making trade association says 37 factories have shut since last year, many of which exported to Greece.
Kastriot Zotaj, who owns a pharmaceutical business, tells me he has been hit hard by the depreciation of the Albanian currency, the lek. “I don’t believe there is economic growth here,” he says. “We’ve never seen more poverty on the streets than now. If business doesn’t improve, I’ll have to lay off half my staff.”
Albania has come far since it emerged from more than four decades of isolationist darkness under communism.
But the transition to democracy has been rough and the country is not yet where it wants to be. Political stability and economic prosperity remain elusive and the path to EU membership will be long.
And as the hunger-srikers continue their visible protest, the immediate concern is how the current political stand-off will develop - and which side will blink first.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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