Is Albania's moderating voice in Southeast Europe taken for granted?

Notes internacionals CIDOB, núm. 16

Albania is not the first country that European citizens think about in the context of future EU enlargements. Rarely featuring in media and public debates in comparison to its neighbours, Albania is the potential future member that the EU public seems to be least interested in. However, in some respects, Albania is one of the most promising cases. Interethnic divisions, questions of identity and bilateral disputes with neighbouring countries are the most common stumbling blocks in Western Balkan accession processes. Not so for Albania. Not only is Albania free of all such complex troubles, it also boasts overwhelming public backing for EU membership. Regionally, its role as an ever-increasing voice of moderation in the Western Balkans is also beginning to draw positive attention. Promising as these factors may appear, however, the troubling nature of Albania’s domestic politics since the June 2009 elections, risks becoming a major obstacle to initiating serious progress for a possible future EU accession.

Poisoned Politics. The June 2009 Parliamentary elections in Albania proved a tough race between the two most important parties, Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party and Edi Rama’s Socialist Party. Half of the politically divided Albanian society voted for the left while the other half cast their ballots for the right. In the aftermath of the elections - elections that according to OSCE mission made “tangible progress” compared to former ones - the right-wing parties established a ruling majority coalition with the Socialist Movement for Integration lead by Ilir Meta. Edi Rama’s Socialist Party decided to boycott the new Parliament citing lack of transparency in the elections in various constituencies - where, according to the Socialist Party, deliberate manipulations had occurred. This marked the beginning of a long and still ongoing deadlock in Albanian politics. Prime Minister Berisha turned down the Socialists’ demand to open up the ballot boxes, arguing that it was not in accordance with the country’s Constitution. (...)