SEE Security Monitor
SEE Security Monitor
Text of report by E. Gjencaj, "PS begins disputes over election", published by Albanian newspaper Korrieri on 6 July
Submitting the first complaints about the election process, some candidates of the Socialist Party [PS] for deputy declared that they do not recognize the results of the elections in their constituencies. Anastas Angjeli, Kastriot Islami, Igli Toska, Arben Ahmetaj, Lulzim Targa and Gjergji Koja, who were candidates in Zone 38, 73, 34, 33, 27 and 29, respectively, contested the results announced by the zone election commissions, saying that there had been manipulations leading to the victory of the PD [Democratic Party] candidates.
Foreign Minister Kastriot Islami, who was a candidate in Zone 73 in Mallakaster, accused the KZZ [Zone Election Commission] chairman of blocking the work in two polling stations which have not begun the vote count yet. Public Order Minister, Igli Toska, who was a candidate in Zone 34 in Tirana, filed a complaint with the Central Election Commission about manipulations and demanded the invalidation of the vote in 10 polling stations. Angjeli, another cabinet member, accused Professor Ylli Pango, his democrat rival, of manipulating the votes and, through people close to him, exerting pressure on the voters and the socialist commissioners.
Arben Ahmetaj, another PS candidate, accused the democrats of committing manipulations through birth certificates and, by this means, achieving victory for Lulzim Basha, the PD candidate. Ahmetaj demanded a rerun of the vote in his whole Zone 33. Gjergj Koja, a socialist candidate in Zone 29 in Durres, joined the group of socialist candidates contesting the results. Koja, who lost against Gazmend Oketa, the democrat candidate, complained of many abuses with birth certificates and immigrant names. He said that such irregularities meant that the election in his constituency should be repeated.
The complaints of the socialist candidates about the results in their constituencies were made public yesterday afternoon. Angjeli appeared again in the evening before journalists to inform them about some certificates found in garbage bin in Sauk.
Source: BBC Monitoring / Korrieri, Tirana