LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: We have learned that from Montenegro they attend celebration of Storm and carefully listen to what NATO tells them (Tanjug/RTS/RTV) 

“We do not interfere in the internal relations of Montenegro, and we will continue to help our people in Montenegro, but I think that all citizens of Serbia should know that we have already learned that from Montenegro they attend celebration of Storm and that every time they have to hear well and listen carefully to what the representatives of NATO, the State Department and Brussels are saying, and a little less often they have to hear or not have to hear what Belgrade is saying,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said when asked by journalists to comment on Montenegrin Prime Minister Krivokapic’s move. He added that the people in power in Montenegro have the right to do so. Vucic points out that, on the other hand, it is our obligation to show respect for other people’s victims, as we show for our own, but also to jealously guard and protect the state and national interests of Serbia. As he said, respecting other victims, but not giving and restoring the memory of our own victims, because that way we will show a responsible attitude towards everything that happened in the former Yugoslavia.

Selakovic: UNMIK’s activity of crucial importance for Serbia (Tanjug/Beta/RTV/N1) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic spoke on Tuesday with the Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office in Belgrade Mari Yamashita.

Selakovic underlined that the work of the UN Office in Belgrade is of great importance for Serbia, given that it is the main channel of communication with the UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija, whose presence and activity is of crucial importance for our country. Selakovic underlined that this mission must remain engaged in all issues that are relevant for the consistent implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, in unreduced volume and with unchanged mandate. He said that the continued examination of the issue of Kosovo and Metohija at the UN Security Council is of essential importance for Serbia since the situation on the ground is still unstable and sensitive with many incidents, whose direct witness is UNMIK itself.

Selakovic assessed that the upcoming session of the UN Security Council on the work of UNMIK, which will be held on 13 April via video conference, will be an excellent opportunity to discuss the current situation in the province, activities of the UN, UNMIK and other international representatives in Kosovo and Metohija.

First political consultations between Serbia, Bahrain held in Belgrade (Tanjug) 

The Serbian Foreign Ministry announced that the first political consultations between the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Bahrain were held in Belgrade on Tuesday.

Representatives of the Foreign Ministries of Serbia and Bahrain exchanged opinions on concrete steps that need to be taken in the coming period in order to deepen economic and political relations. Special attention was paid to specific projects and support that the two countries can provide to each other in international organizations and institutions. It was stated that the historic visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Bahrain in March this year and the visit of the high delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Serbia less than a month after that are the testimony of a strong commitment to developing the closest partnership and friendly relations between the two countries. The consultations were held as part of the visit of the representative of the King of Bahrain for humanitarian work, youth issues and national security adviser, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who is on a two-day visit to Serbia. The delegation of the Serbian Foreign Ministry was led by Assistant Minister for Bilateral Cooperation Ambassador Vladimir Maric, while the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain was led by Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah Hamad Al Khalifa.

Dacic: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue doesn’t depend on Kurti and Osmani (TV Pink/RTV) 

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic told TV Pink that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina does not depend on Albin Kurti and Vjosa Osmani. Commenting on Vjosa Osmani saying that the dialogue should be conducted on an equal footing, Dacic recalled Pristina’s position that they do not need dialogue and that dialogue, as far as the Pristina side is concerned, implies only recognition of Kosovo. “The problem for them is that Belgrade insists on a compromise. What kind of dialogue is that when they say right away that they do not accept the Brussels agreement,” Dacic wondered. He stated that the Kurti-Osmani combination has the support of a part of the international community which, as he said, is not too inclined towards dialogue under the auspices of Brussels and they are trying to reach a compromise. He added that Belgrade would not respond in kind, but would advocate the principle of regional stability and reconciliation. “That suits us the most so that we can progress economically and show the constructive role of Serbia,” said Dacic.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Dzaferovic reacts to Dodik’s statement: Division of B&H is not possible and B&H cannot longer sustain any ethnic or territorial divisions (Hayat) 

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) reacted on Tuesday to the statement of B&H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik (SNSD), who said that “peaceful dissolution of B&H should be accelerated”. Dzaferovic conveyed a clear message to Dodik that the division of B&H is not possible and said that B&H cannot longer sustain any ethnic or territorial divisions as this is not B&H’s path, adding that the EU and NATO integration represents B&H’s path. “They will never secede a single footstep of B&H, but they can only violate peace and destabilize the situation in B&H or produce more severe consequences on the part of B&H they want to secede. Republika Srpska (RS) was created in Dayton and if they take this path they will undermine Dayton. B&H has existed even before Dayton and it will continue to exist in case that Dayton no longer exists, but the RS is the one that could disappear because it was created based on the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA)”, Dzaferovic stressed.

Dzaferovic: Negotiations on changes to B&H Election Law are blocked (N1) 

N1 reported that political outwitting continued in B&H, adding that negotiations on changing of the B&H Election Law have just begun but there are already some blockades while leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic called on the international community for help. Meanwhile, the Berlin-based Democratization Policy Council published a proposal of the HDZ B&H on changes to the B&H Election Law that was recently delivered to SDA. HDZ B&H still insists on legitimate representation in the Parliament and the Presidency of B&H. The reporter noted that as SDA and HDZ B&H may even agree on election of members of the B&H Presidency, there are strong opposing views about election of delegates in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) House of Peoples (HoP). Member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic reiterated on Tuesday that negotiations on changes to the B&H Election Law are blocked and help of the IC and the Parliament of B&H is necessary. He underlined: “We cannot accept anything that will lead this country into further ethnic divisions. We cannot accept anything contrary to rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.” SDA stated that the B&H HoP should exist in a way the Republika Srpska (RS) Council of People exists as an institution that decides only about issues of Vital National Protection, which HDZ B&H rejected. Commenting on this issue, Judge of the ECHR Faris Vehabovic stated that implementation of rulings of the ECHR especially in the case of ‘Zornic’ is impossible without a serious reform of the Constitution of B&H. Deadline to reach an agreement on this issue is June 2021.

Komsic: There is not even minimum of consensus as to what path one should take in changes to Election Law and especially possible changes to Constitution (O kanal) 

O Kanal carried an interview with Croat member of the B&H Presidency and DF leader Zeljko Komsic who spoke about B&H’s NATO path, the Election Law of B&H, the FB&H government and Russian influence. Speaking about the letter of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and whether he believes that ruling parties in B&H, such as SDA, HDZ B&H and SNSD, will find common ground in regard to changes to the B&H Election Law and limited constitutional reforms, Komsic said that he does not believe that they will. “There is not even minimum of consensus as to what path one should take in changes to the Election Law and especially possible changes to the Constitution, although that letter actually speaks of minor changes to the Constitution with the goal of implementing rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) because Ljubic ruling has certainly already been implemented,” Komsic said. Asked who he believes will resist the most, Komsic said that he believes that resistance will primarily come from HDZ B&H and SNSD. “SDA, at least at the level of statements, is showing readiness to change important acts, such as the Election Law and the Constitution, in accordance with standards which were placed before us as a mandatory thing. Therefore, to harmonize that practice with primarily the practice of respect for basic human rights. On the other hand, when we are speaking of policies from the RS, and I am deliberately not saying Dodik‘s, only Dodik’s (policy), but policies from the RS, there is almost a unanimous stance there that there will be no changes of either the Election Law or the Constitution in the way requested by, for example, the ECHR, as requested in the opinions of the European Commission (EC), in the fourteen priorities and probably, I presume what the US administration would possibly request, i.e. in a normal way, because they see danger to the RS and taking over competences in all of that. On the other hand, the policy advocated by the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS), HDZ B&H and (HDZ B&H leader and HNS President) Dragan Covic personally also does not want to go in the direction we spoke about of protecting basic human rights and improving the entire system that would be based on that, rather they want to implement what they failed to implement during the war and that is to round up, merge the ethnic and territorial and for that to be the basis for both every election cycle and the constitutional basis for functioning of B&H.” Komsic emphasized.

Asked to comment Dodik’s frequent statements of peaceful separation and the statement by High Representative Valentin Inzko that Dodik was once the most cooperative politician in B&H and what could force Dodik to again be his old self, Komsic said that he does not want to go into any kind of relations between Inzko and Dodik because he did not witness them. “I do not know what kind of love they were in and what kind of a love affair that was. Dodik did arrive on the wave of a man from the RS who has a different rhetoric. That is why he was supported in coming to power. Honestly speaking, he came with the support, or as one would colloquially say, not to be misunderstood, he came to power on US tanks. But, the question is which is the real Dodik. What we have been witnessing these past years, to me it resembles his true nature… It seems to me that he is quite serious in what he has been saying lately. I do not believe that he is a man who lightly throws out the story of secession, if nothing else, he certainly hopes for it,” Komsic said, adding that Dodik very well knows that one does not argue with firm attitude of force. “And, in that case he becomes very cooperative. Talks, convincing, pleas and even logical arguments – they do not have to be political, but elementary logical arguments – have no effect on Dodik and the structure of people moving around him. He only understands trade and force. It functions like that and for him to change and become his old self again, only trade and force would help. There is no logic there, no standards, no system of values,” Komsic underlined. Asked whether he fears that Russian engagement in B&H and the Western Balkans will stop B&H’s NATO path, Komsic said that he does, especially when you have lukewarm responses on the other side. “The other day, I spoke about that with people representing the international community here and I told them that what the Russian Ambassador said was certainly approved directly from Moscow. That kind of message which we have not had the opportunity to hear from representatives of the Russian Federation in B&H so far means that he received an order to say that. When he said that and threatened with consequences to B&H if NATO path continues was not only a threat against B&H, but also a threat against NATO. But, it seems to me that there are many people in NATO or NATO member states who did not perceive it as such. Perhaps they know more, perhaps there is something else, I do not know. The fact is that this provoked quite a lukewarm reaction,” Komsic said. Asked whether his ‘non-paper’ was used in order to put aside Blinken’s letter and also asked whether he discussed changes to the election legislation with US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson and Head of EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler, Komsic said that it is impossible to forget about the letter of the US Secretary of State because “once written, it remains to exist whether someone likes it or not”. “Of course, we discussed the matter on several occasions, but it was never in a specific manner like it was the case with Covic and Izetbegovic. My stance is well known – it is necessary to only implement what already exists in all democratic countries. Therefore, we need to apply in B&H the rules which are in force in USA when it comes to human rights and especially in the EU, which defined this matter in details,” Komsic said and argued that all other models that are currently being discussed with regard to changes to the Law on Elections of B&H are retrograde and violate human rights.

Asked to comment on the incident at the border with Croatia when a reporter of the daily was not allowed to take photos of natural gas pipelines and a statement of a security worker of ‘Oil Refinery’ who told the reporter that it was “Russian land”, Komsic replied by saying: “What else can we expect when the Director of the Border Police of B&H is a man who actually protects the border of Croatia and advocates Croatia’s interests instead of protecting the border of B&H. This is not the only example. Just remember the case with migrants in the Una-Sana Canton (USC)”.

Speaking about the formation of the FB&H government, Komsic said that DF has no expectations when it comes to this matter because this will not happen. “I had a chance to see that Covic and Izetbegovic only discussed filling in vacant seats” Komsic said and argued that this is not a formation of the new government nor a reshuffle of the existing one. Finally, Komsic reminded that nobody from the international community said in the past two and a half years that there is an obstruction of formation of the FB&H Government and that “the threat of HDZ B&H that the FB&H government will be the new Mostar case is being realized, because this practically is the case already”.

Nelson with DNS, PDP, SDS leaders discusses electoral, economic and rule of law reforms (Dnevni avaz) 

US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson met on Tuesday with leaders of DNS, PDP and SDS Nenad Nesic, Branislav Borenovic and Mirko Sarovic. US Embassy’s statement published at the official Twitter account reads: “Ambassador Nelson spoke with the leaders of DNS, PDP and SDS to discuss the opportunity for electoral, economic, and rule of law reforms that will give all in B&H a clearer voice in the election process, create better trade and investment opportunity, and mark progress toward the EU. Engagement with all parties ensures an inclusive process that represents the will of all citizens in B&H”.

Several hundred citizens stage peaceful protests in Sarajevo demanding resignations of B&H CoM and FB&H government due to failure to procure vaccines (O kanal) 

Several hundred citizens, dissatisfied with the delay in the vaccination process in B&H, staged peaceful protests in Sarajevo on Tuesday. Protesters demanded resignations of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) and the FB&H government, but also a pandemic response plan of possible new convocations of the CoM and the FB&H government. Protesters gave the authorities seven days to comply with their demands, i.e. they gave them seven days to either resign or procure vaccines against coronavirus. Organizers of protests in Sarajevo stated that this is a struggle for life because, according to them, citizens must not be deprived of the basic rights. Organizer of protests in Sarajevo Aida Feraget said that the new authorities would get a deadline of 14 days to come up with a plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic. “That is something that not a single political party, government, the ruling parties nor the opposition did in this past year. As a result, we have more than 6,000 dead and I believe that it is high time for them to realize how much blood they have on their hands and that they are slapping citizens of Sarajevo, citizens of B&H with those bloody hands every day,” Feraget stated. Protesters emphasized that they do not want to get vaccinated in neighboring countries, but have that opportunity to get vaccinated in the country in which they are filling the budget. Their demands also include introduction of a mandatory PCR tests for entry into the country. Organizer of protests Maja Gasal Vrazalica emphasized that current authorities need to be removed as they had one year to organize everything, including mass immunization and they failed to do that. She said that citizens fill the budget of this country, but they were forced to get vaccinated in countries of the region. Protest organizer Nejra Hulusic Latic says that citizens need to raise their voices and demand direct procurement of vaccines.

Croats must agree to changes of Constitution, whilst Bosniaks must agree to legitimate representation (Vecernji list) 

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke on the phone with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and that they discussed, among other issues, the coordination of joint priorities, including the COVID-19 pandemic, energy diversification and the Western Balkans. According to the daily, although the statement issued by the US authorities did not mention it, part of the conversation was related to B&H, foremost the expectation of the US and Croatia to secure stability in B&H. According to daily, unlike local political officials, who would like to carry out reforms that would result in much more than requested by rulings/judgments of the local and international courts, the US and the EU administrations believe it is necessary to carry out changes on which agreement can be achieved. The daily underlines that the most problematic fact is that SDA and its leader Bakir Izetbegovic claim it is impossible to reach an agreement and that agreement cannot be reached in the format of him and HDZ B&H President Dragan Covic. According to the daily, it would be illogical to include Zeljko Komsic and his party, as well as the opposition parties, into the talks (on changes to the Law on Elections and changes to the Constitution of B&H) because it would certainly lead to collapse of the talks. To back its claim up, daily reminds that Covic and Izetbegovic reached solutions for the issue of local elections in Mostar (last year) with the help from the US, the EU, the UK, the OHR and the OSCE, stressing that reaching an agreement with participation of ten or so political parties would be a lot more difficult, underlining that DF’s role would be to undermine the talks. The daily also reads that HDZ B&H and parties gathered around the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) have expressed readiness to carry our constitutional changes in order to facilitate changes to the Law on Elections. Concluding the article, daily reads that the Bosniak side will have to accept that Croats are represented by their legitimate representatives as requested by the Constitutional Court of B&H in the Ljubic case ruling.

Another Leposavic’s shameful statement: In Montenegro, as in Jasenovac (CdM) 

After a controversial statement from 26 March, when Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Vladimir Leposavic said he was ready to acknowledge that the genocide took place in Srebrenica “once it is unequivocally established”, he had another shameful statement in which he mentioned the word genocide. He then claimed that the situation in Montenegro was as in Jasenovac, but that it was only “at a lower level of crime”. “Serbs experienced an unprecedented genocide in Jasenovac by the Ustashas, which history has not remembered. Serbs came out of the war with the experience of genocide, only to be declared hegemons in Yugoslavia immediately afterwards. Such a situation exists in Montenegro, only at a lower level of crimes that take place. You are constantly pressuring a nation and constantly calling it guilty,” said Leposavic.

Krivokapic to Montenegro people: I made decision on Leposavic’s dismissal with a heavy heart (CdM) 

Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic addressed the Montenegrin people, noting that he announced the decision to dismiss the Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Vladimir Leposavic “with a heavy heart”. He did it, as he says, not to betray the people, but to preserve them even though many still don’t understand that decision. The government, according to the PM, takes the road that often includes making decisions that won’t be easy. In a letter, Krivokapic recalled, among other things, the agreement that the ruling majority had signed, when they pledged not to change the country’s strategic path. “We signed the Agreement in order to free Montenegro from mutual misunderstanding, to reconcile father with son, brother with sister, neighbor with neighbor. We signed the Agreement to defeat and dismantle the regime that had been taming us for 30 years. We signed an Agreement to win.” “After yesterday’s address, and after I told what was in my heart, as that’s the only way I can speak to my people, after I reprimanded Minister Vladimir Leposavic, a part of you accused me of betrayal. Honest, wonderful and honorable people of Montenegro, I have a thousand flaws, but I have never been and will never be a traitor. I will not betray the country I lead, nor all the people who saw in me the hope that Montenegro can resurrect and shine with proud splendor it has shone for centuries.

I didn’t propose Minister Leposavic’s dismissal just because of his statement about Srebrenica. He, as well as all ministers of this government, has to know that their personal beliefs must not affect the survival of the government.” The Prime Minister further reflects on the Srebrenica issue, noting that we must not accept the game the DPS has been trying to play, as they do not force it [the Srebrenica issue] because they love the Bosniak people in Montenegro, but because they want to keep up with the crime they desperately want to preserve, trying to use the government’s weaknesses. “We must not swallow bait offered by them”. In the end, he says: “You should know that the path this Government is taking inevitably leads to making decisions that will not be easy. That is why I need your faith. Your faith in our victory is a pledge for victory against the DPS. If they manage to sow the seed of doubt, make us fight with each other, it will be a pledge for our defeat.”

State secretary in Justice Ministry to Krivokapic: You took a wrong turn (CdM) 

Following initiation of the procedure for dismissal of Minister Vladimir Leposavic after his statement on the Srebrenica genocide, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights, Ivan Vukicevic, addressed the Prime Minister, Zdravko Krivokapic, noting that he [Krivokapic] had taken a wrong turn. Vukicevic underlines that he has his own views on Leposavic as a man and minister, as well as on his statement regarding Srebrenica that he [Leposavic] started by saying that he didn’t deny the genocide and that he didn’t have the right to do it. “In yesterday’s address, you told, among other things, the following: “Dear citizens, please tell if you think, and I, as the PM, will be the first to listen to you…” Dear PM, I first wish to remind you that citizens have already voiced their wishes on 30 August and elected their representatives from the coalitions For the Future of Montenegro, Peace is Our Nation and Black on White, while these blocs elected you as the prime minister and other members of the government on behalf of themselves and citizens. If we know that in accordance with the Constitution of Montenegro, a citizen exercises power 1. directly and 2. through freely elected representatives, it can be easily concluded that the position you ask them to voice can be done either 1) in new elections or 2) through MPs,” Vukicevic noted. According to him, having in mind that the government of Montenegro was elected by all MPs of the current parliamentary majority, the only acceptable, serious and responsible thing for the PM to do was to first ensure support all MPs of the current parliamentary majority before sending to the parliament the proposal for dismissal of Minister Leposavic or any other minister.

Abazovic congratulates Osmani on her election as President of Kosovo (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) 

Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic congratulated the newly elected President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani on the appointment. “On the occasion of your election as the President of the Republic of Kosovo, I extend my sincere congratulations, convinced that the results of our good-neighborly cooperation will ultimately mean an improvement of the quality of life of the citizens of the two countries,” said Abazovic. Abazovic stated that he was sure that President Osmani would perform the duty responsibly and successfully. “I believe that it is in the interest of Montenegro and the Republic of Kosovo that, by investing enormous efforts in reforms related to European integration, the countries of this region become full members of the EU and NATO. I hope we will work together on that in the future,” the Deputy Prime Minister’s congratulatory letter reads.

EU doesn’t mind expert government in Bulgaria negotiating Macedonia’s history (MIA) 

EU doesn’t mind expert government in Bulgaria negotiating Macedonia’s history

The European Commission refrains from going into details over the political situation in Bulgaria after Sunday’s elections but hopes Skopje and Sofia will reach a compromise, MIA reports from Brussels. The spokesperson of the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Ana Pisonero, briefly commented that Brussels “encourages both Bulgaria and Macedonia to find a mutually acceptable solution to current bilateral issues.”

Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections were won by the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) coalition and the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, with 25.8 percent of the vote, Slavi Trifunov’s ITN party came in second with 17, 5 percent and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) bloc up to 14.8 percent. Macedonia is blocked in the Council of the EU for adopting the negotiating framework and holding the first Intergovernmental Conference with the EU due to the unresolved dispute with Bulgaria.

Palmer: Impartial and transparent rules for 25 April elections (Tirana Times) 

During a “virtual visit” in Albania, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer talked about the need of having candidate lists with integrity in the next parliamentary elections of 25 April. After meeting virtually with President Meta, Prime Minister Rama and DP Chair Basha, Palmer declared for the media that part of the content of his meetings were the expectations that the United States have on the elections. “We talked about increasing security relations, the importance of having elections with high standards and clean candidates […] We hope to see the first intergovernmental meeting in June. We want successful elections that reflect the will of the Albanians,” said Palmer. The Deputy Assistant Secretary emphasized with each leader the importance of their respective roles, since institutions and political leaders carry the responsibility to ensure the upcoming elections are free and fair, with rules that are impartial, transparent, and timely. Asked about the presence of Tom Doshi in the candidate lists for MP, Palmer echoed the previous statements made by Ambassador Yuri Kim on this issue. “We do our own research for the individuals with problems, and therefore we are certain. Candidate lists are not perfect. What Yuri Kim said is important. Those who are running must be credible. Yuri Kim has been clear in her statements. There has been progress in Albania on justice reform, but there is still a lot of work to be done. We have a duty to be clear with Albania. We want an Albania ready for the EU,” said Palmer, adding that the US expects influential people to be punished in the name of accountability. Talking about the justice reform, Palmer acknowledged that it is moving in the right direction, although the US expects more progress in the future. “Justice reform will continue and will bring more results,” added Palmer. Asked by the journalist to comment Albania’s decision to use the Chinese vaccine, Palmer said that the US do not interfere in the domestic politics of other countries. In the end of his “virtual visit” in Albania, Palmer highlighted also the strategic importance of the Defender 21 military exercise, which will be the largest multilateral military exercises held in the Western Balkans.

General Prosecutor’s Office requests information from INTERPOL for 25 MP candidates (Tirana Times) 

With less than 3 weeks from the parliamentary elections of 25 April, 29 candidates for MP are being verified by the decriminalization unit at the General Prosecutor’s Office. According to A2, for 25 candidates the General Prosecutor’s Office has requested information from Interpol, since there are doubts that they may have committed potential criminal offenses outside Albania. It will depend on the information that the Office will receive, whether it will be needed to further verify and investigate the candidates or not. For the remaining 4 candidates, verifications are being carried just inside the country. Considering that the time to do such verifications remains limited, the fear is that potential candidates with criminal past may be elected as MP, as it has been the case in the previous elections. The United States and the European Union have repeatedly asked the political forces in Albania to respect the decriminalization law, and ensure that candidate lists are comprised of people with integrity. The decriminalization law prohibits individuals that have been involved in one or more 80 different criminal offenses, to participate in elections as candidates for public office. Last week the General Prosecutor’s Office officially requested from the U.S Embassy information on Tom Doshi, after the repeated calls from the US Ambassador Yuri Kim on the Albanian institutions to prevent Doshi’s running in the elections. “The Central Election Commission has a responsibility to review all records in order to ensure that the candidates are qualified and not involved in acts of corruption”, Ambassador Kim has stated on the matter. However, CEC has registered the list of Social Democratic Party of Albania for the next parliamentary elections, including the name of Tom Doshi that is part of the list.