LOCAL PRESS 

Dacic: Every time dialogue was stopped it was exclusively because of Pristina (RTS/Tanjug) 

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic spoke at the session of the EU Integration Committee dedicated to the presentation of the EP Resolution on the 2019-2020 Commission reports on Serbia. Dacic reminded the attending that the European Commission’s annual report on Serbia was considered in the plenum in December last year, which was the first time that the parliament considered a document by the EU institutions on Serbia. “With today’s session, we are already paving the way for a good and useful democratic practice of talking about all the important positions of the EU institutions in an open debate our parliament. I am sure that this will have a positive impact on our EU accession process overall because it shows that we threat the attitudes and recommendations of the highest EU institutions as responsibly as possible by giving them due attention in our parliament,” said Dacic. He thanked Vladimir Bilcik, European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Serbia and the author of the draft resolution, for his work and the positive intention he showed towards Serbia in drafting the report, to which more than 400 amendments were submitted finally resulting in a text that differed significantly from the proposal originally submitted to the European Parliament. Dacic said it was good that in a significant part of the Resolution the European Parliament noted the progress of the reforms in Serbia, especially in terms of economic development, regional cooperation, dialogue with Pristina, the position of national minorities and minority social groups. However, he pointed out the critical and even negative assessments made in the Resolution, because he believes that most of them are baseless. “Expressing a critical opinion is not a problem, it is an integral part of our relationship, what is important here is to separate critical opinion from material untruths expressed about certain topics, so I think it is important, when talking about certain texts of the various resolutions adopted in Brussels, that they follow the real situation in Serbia, and I think that today’s debate should draw the our colleagues’ attention to the shortcomings present in this Resolution that harm Serbia and the European Parliament as well,” said Dacic. That is why he emphasized that Serbia is open to conversation and providing adequate information so that everyone in Brussels has the opportunity to find out the factual situation on issues of vital importance for our country. Dacic said that the Resolution notes that the practice of passing laws by urgent procedure should be stopped, which was a frequent objection of the European institutions in previous years. “This year, we adopted the budget rebalance by urgent procedure as it was a necessity to make sure the state functioned smoothly, there were almost no other cases, but the MEPs did not notice that and apparently simply copied some earlier positions from their own and European Commission reports. Regarding last year’s state of emergency, the European Parliament’s assessments are, according to Dacic’s observation, quite confusing and even incorrect. That is why he emphasized that the state of emergency was declared and called off strictly according to the Constitution. Dacic considered as particularly problematic the part of the European Parliament Resolution that stated that the Assembly did not start work for a long time after the announcement of the final election results, although there was a clear parliamentary majority, and stressed that all the legal deadlines were followed. “The stand on the vaccination caused the most negative reactions. It is a message to the citizens that they should not believe their eyes, but believe the amendments to the text of the European Parliament Resolution that the vaccination and the fight against COVID-19 in Serbia are poorly organized, while all the world agencies and all the world politicians praise Serbia for this and many come from Europe to be vaccinated here,” said Dacic. He also referred to some statements regarding Kosovo and Metohija, saying that Serbia would always fulfil its obligations under the Brussels Agreement, so it is unclear why the Resolution says that everyone must fulfil their obligations. He emphasized that equating responsibility is not good, adding that every time the dialogue was stopped it was exclusively because of Pristina, never because of Serbia. “We approached the European Parliament Resolution most seriously and we expect them to respect our objections just as responsibly. Serbia is fully committed to joining the EU, that is our chief foreign policy priority, and that is why we want to continue in collegial cooperation with all the participants in this process, especially with the European Parliament. Our discussion today is an important part of that cooperation, even when we have objections to their work,” Dacic concluded.

Petkovic: Pristina manipulates with so-called non-paper (RTV) 

Efforts from Pristina to attribute the “non-paper” on Kosovo and Metohija to official Belgrade are just a perfidious attempt to cover up its real author. Such a document did not appear in any of the Belgrade media, but in the Pristina media, a day after it was announced when the negotiations would continue. That is why it would be better for Pristina to prepare well for the dialogue, and for Albin Kurti to lead today’s talks in Brussels in the spirit of normalization of relations with Belgrade, than to waste energy on false news.Belgrade remains firmly in the position that negotiations and dialogue are the only way to find a lasting and sustainable solution, and this cannot be achieved by any secret documents or someone’s wish list. Just as no one can force President Aleksandar Vucic to recognize so-called Kosovo through pressure and blackmail, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic points out on the statement.

Djuric meets with Reeker (Tanjug) 

As a part of regular political dialogue with the US Department of State, Serbian Ambassador to the US Marko Djuric has met with US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker. Djuric said Serbia would always be advocating peace and stability in the region and that its serious and prudent approach continuously demonstrated that it was a dependable and credible partner to the US in its part of Europe. At the meeting, the parties particularly noted the significance of the 140 years of Serbia-US diplomatic ties and the alliance between the two countries in both world wars, as well as the increasingly intensive cooperation in all areas of mutual interest over the past several years, the Serbian embassy in Washington said in a statement.

Bilcik: Serbia not ready for EU membership (N1) 

European Parliament Rapporteur Vladimir Bilcik told N1 on Tuesday that Serbia is not ready to join the EU and needs to open some chapters in the pre-accession negotiations over the next few months. Bilcik said that Serbia is not ready to join the EU but can do a lot to get close to that goal. “We all have to do our part and take the expansion process more seriously in the EU. I hope that we will see some results in terms of Serbia and the region in the next few months,” he said. “We have to open some chapters and clusters with Serbia in the next few months which means that we have to do some things in European institutions but that implementation by Serbia is important,” he said. According to Bilcik, EU officials clearly told President Aleksandar Vucic during his visit to Brussels that much more is expected from Serbia in terms of reforms and meeting obligations in order to speed up the pre-accession negotiations. He said that he discussed a number of issues with Vucic, adding that it’s important for Serbia to realize the political reality in the European Parliament. “I think the best response to any criticism of the report (on Serbia) is to implement obligations,” Bilcik said. He said that they discussed the inter-party dialogue mediated by European Parliament officials. “The reality on the ground is different (than in the first stage of the dialogue) but the goal is the same – improving election conditions and the political competition to make elections freer and fairer with everyone taking part,” he said and added that meeting with the non-parliamentary opposition will take place after Orthodox Easter. He said that talks will be held with some of the more radical parties in Serbia “but that is part of the political scene in Serbia and I can only observe… in the end the important thing is the result of the dialogue,” he said. My support to Serbia is full but we also need support from member states and institutions, Bilcik said.

First meeting on dialogue without EP mediation to be held on 28 April (Beta) 

Representatives of the Serbian government and the portion of the opposition that has refused mediation by the European Parliament, will meet for the first time in the inter-party dialogue on election conditions on 28 April. Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic will meet with representatives of the ruling parties and opposition in parliament on 28 April, the parliament’s information service has said. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has also been invited to the meeting. He said earlier that he would attend if his presidential duties allowed him to. The dialogue will gather representatives of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Socialist Party of Serbia and Serbian Patriotic Alliance. As for the opposition, the Democratic Party of Serbia, Serbian Radical Party, the Dveri movement and Enough Is Enough party will attend the talks.

Dveri and the Enough Is Enough party have announced that they will also participate in talks on

election conditions which will be mediated by the European Parliament. Press statements after the meeting are not envisaged according to the rules of the dialogue.

REGIONAL PRESS 

EC President’s office say EU unequivocally supports integrity of B&H (Dnevni list)

Dnevni list reads that the office of EC President Ursula Von der Leyen has sent a message that the EU is “absolutely against” changing the borders in the Western Balkans. The daily went on to say that political leaderships of the US and the EU have this week unequivocally condemned any aspirations towards changes to the borders in the Western Balkans. Daily however wonders why it took them fifteen days or so to react, underlining that everyone who knows the situation in the Balkans also knows that any ideas that could return the region into a tragic past must be eradicated from the start. Otherwise, everything else would encourage retrograde forces.

B&H Presidency members hold online meeting with Borrell; Dodik: Interest of RS is to discuss open issues (ATV)

Members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency held an online meeting on Tuesday evening with High Representative Josep Borrell. After the meeting, Serb member and Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik informed that ‘non-paper’ and the current epidemiological situation were discussed at the meeting. Dodik highlighted that Borrell announced the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines by the EU for B&H in the upcoming period. Dodik also told Borrell that the stance of the Republika Srpska (RS) is to lead talks within B&H about all open issues. He stated that Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic told Borrell that their interest is the reintegration of B&H, instead of the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). Dodik assessed that Bosniaks want to reintegrate B&H how they imagine it, without Serbs and Croats. “It is some civic scam they are trying to impose, because they believe this sounds good to Western countries and they demand the civil organization of B&H, which is absolutely unacceptable,” said Dodik. He added that if it is not possible to reach an agreement within B&H in the upcoming period, then it is normal to try a peaceful dissolution. Dodik stressed that he is against of any war.

Dzaferovic: B&H will remain integral (Oslobodjenje)

Member of B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic repeated on Tuesday that B&H’s multi-ethnicity is country’s wealth and this must not be the reason for any kind of discrimination or conflicts, but comparative advantage that B&H should, can and has to exploit. “B&H will remain integral, with its sovereignty and it needs to be further built as a democratic state and that is the path, and the path is certainly not change of borders or ethnic and territorial division. The path is integration of B&H to the European Union and NATO alliance,” said Dzaferovic.

Dodik: PIC is maintaining stereotype that the RS is to be blamed for everything (RTRS)

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) issued a joint statement on Monday in which it condemned the rhetoric about dissolution of B&H. Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik assessed that this statement was to be expected, since it is condemning the RS. He said that the PIC should have used the opportunity to tell their Bosniak partners that they cannot build a country with those they are trying to humiliate and insult for 25 years. Dodik stressed that the RS will keep the right to discuss and negotiate with the Federation of B&H (FB&H) and the other two peoples with constituent status about the future of B&H, but not with the PIC. He added that the B&H Constitution guarantees this, as the RS is one of the sides that signed the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). Dodik stated that the PIC is not a part of the DPA and it is the main generator of issues in the area. He assessed that the PIC is determining who is to blame for everything in advance. Dodik explained that the PIC is maintaining the stereotype that the RS is to be blamed for everything. Dodik also stated that the PIC has been on the side of Muslims in B&H and that PIC is the owner of an illusory story about a unitary and centrally organized B&H that cannot and will never be able to function. Dodik deemed the behavior of PIC as distasteful. “Nor do we want to accept them as a body that does not exist, even though the most powerful countries are there, but that does not mean that they can harass us here with false representation, nor do we want to accept their suggestions anymore,” Dodik said. “The key generator of issues on these territories is that body, that is trying to impose itself as a place for the implementation of the agreement. Basically, it is a false representation, because they create completely new solutions with no relation to the agreement. Simply, it is quite clear they have hidden agenda, or not hidden agenda, to make B&H a country, and that is why they reacted to the story about a paper that does not exist, is not verified, does not have a title, nor the author,” said Dodik and reminded of stories about the lost B&H Constitution (original copy of the Dayton Peace Agreement), noting that B&H depends a lot on “one piece of paper, and it is no wonder there has been so much ‘fuss’ about it’’. “The same international community, gathered around this self-proclaimed body would want to ensure that Kosovo is an independent country and that the RS must accept the terror of the international factor here, and primarily of Muslims, and to slowly, vis-a-vis their ideas, loses all its competences and rights. That is the essence of what they do. You cannot have different criteria in almost identical situations,” said Dodik. Dodik stated that the RS and the FB&H drew the line of demarcation in 1995 and that is a fact some may not like now. He added that the RS believes that it is necessary to discuss the future of B&H with the FB&H and not with officials in Sarajevo who were not elected. Dodik said that this is logical and the people need to make decisions on their own.

Viskovic: PIC stances are hypocritical; Other reactions to PIC SB’s statement (RTRS)

The Steering Board of the PIC issued a joint statement on Monday in which it condemned the rhetoric about dissolution of B&H. RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic asked who is bothered with the invitation of the RS to sit down and talk. He assessed the stances of the PIC as hypocritical. Viskovic said that nothing was determined in advance and they believe that it is necessary to discuss the fate of B&H among three peoples with constituent status. Head of the RS Caucus of SDS Miladin Stanic stated that many things are led against the Serb people and this is the result of an agreement between those who go against the interests of their people. Speaker of the B&H House of People (B&H HoP) Nikola Spiric said that B&H is looking like an occupied country with the PIC. He added that it is necessary for B&H politicians to gain strength to start leading the country. Spiric said that in the past days, calls for war could be heard from the Federation of B&H and to this the RS offers dialogue. Stanic said that it is necessary to discuss issues between the two entities and this needs to be initiated from the B&H level of institutions. Independent delegate in the B&H HoP Zlatko Miletic said that it is time for media to stop insulting entire people in their reporting and it is time to discuss everything at the B&H level.

Sarovic: There will be no war, but stories about referendum, third entity or abolition of entities will continue for as long as these parties are in power (Oslobodjenje)

The daily carried interview with SDS leader Mirko Sarovic who commented recent statements concerning retailoring of borders in Western Balkans and peaceful dissolution of B&H, which is pushed by SNSD leader and Chairman of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik. At the very beginning of the interview, Sarovic stressed that there will be no war, but new maps, stories about referendum, third entity or abolition of entities will continue for as long as these (current) parties are in power. “Those phantom ideas, which appear out of nowhere without clear source, i.e. the author, suit only them. Current authorities need such dramatics and story which can mobilize the public, which produces fear among the people, defensive mechanisms are being created, low passions in the people are encouraged, because general elections are approaching” said Sarovic. He added that when you have nothing to offer to the citizens, and the current authority offered nothing, then you come out with stories about new maps and peaceful dissolution to entertain the public and make them forget about important things. Asked about statements made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during his visit to Banja Luka, where he emphasized the economic cooperation, Sarovic agreed with the author that Vucic distanced himself from the stories about secession of the RS and turned towards the stories about normalization of life and his statements reduce artificial tensions. “Central issue in B&H is not new retailoring and drawing of borders, the central issue is poverty of countries of the Western Balkans. For me, the most important issue is procurement of vaccines… where authority absolutely failed and that is the fact that we should be presenting and talking about every single day and not some phantom papers,” said Sarovic. Commenting the recent meeting of ruling RS parties in Mrakovica and opposition parties at Mt. Jahorina, Sarovic noted that different messages were conveyed, where ruling parties talked about some alleged dialogue with the Federation of B&H (FB&H) about peaceful dissolution, while the opposition parties talked about progress, development, economy and healthcare. “I think the opposition is on the right path, conveys right messages and our messages are closer to the stances of majority of RS citizens. I am convinced this is the only right way” said Sarovic. He denied rumors about disagreements and rifts within the opposition, stressing that he is convinced that opposition will stand united. “There is no reason for this to be different, because the goals are so high that it is inevitable to reach them only together and everyone in the opposition are aware of this,” said Sarovic. He also expressed optimism regarding the idea about uniting of opposition from both entities, adding that he believes it is possible for them to meet, discuss joint stances and define key goals. Asked about changed to Election Law, Sarovic said that he would like for the Law to be changed in whatever extent and to have a consensus about these changes, but he deems that this will not be easy.

B&H HoP forms inter-institutional working group that will be tasked with preparing amendments to B&H Election Law (ATV)

The B&H House of Peoples (HoP) has adopted the conclusion on forming of the inter-institutional working group that will be tasked with preparing amendments to the B&H Election Law. ATV reports it is expected that the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) will support the forming of the working group that will not include representatives of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC), which proved to be an issue for the representatives from opposition political party. B&H HoP delegates Barisa Colak, Sredoje Novic and Munib Jusufovic were appointed to the inter-institutional working group. It is expected that the B&H HoR will support this work group as well, despite of the fact that it does not plan to appoint CEC members into the group. It is certain that the work group will be consisted of delegates and representatives of the B&H Parliament and representatives of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM). Deputy speaker of the B&H HoP Nikola Spiric said that this is a good decision, since in previous instances members of the CEC would act in order to protect their own positions. He added that opinions on the legality and legitimacy of the B&H CEC differ and the presence of B&H CEC members would make the work of the group harder. All caucuses in the B&H HoR will have representatives in the work group, including opposition members. Delegate of SDS Mladen Bosic said that the starting points of the members of the work group are different and he believes this will not bring any results. Delegate of SDP Denis Becirovic said that this is the first work group without members of the CEC and he did not receive an adequate explanation why it is like that. Delegate of SNSD Lazar Prodanovic stressed that the CEC members worked to preserve their seven-year long mandates in previous work groups instead of focusing on the education of local election commissions.  He added that it is necessary to shorten the mandates of members of the B&H CEC to five years. Commenting on the amendments to the B&H Election Law, HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic said: “We, on the other hand, have a clear obligation, to, even by the end of June, according to the agreement we signed in Mostar between two political options and five representatives of the international institutions, adopt amendments to the Election Law, that we should consider in its entirety, from the election of the B&H Presidency members, to MPs at Caucuses of the B&H HoP, and many other rewritings of the Election Law, sometimes called by someone technical changes”.

B&H HoP rejects SDP’s proposals of changes to B&H Election Law preventing dual mandates (N1)

The B&H House of People (B&H HoP) held a regular session on Tuesday. The B&H HoP rejected the proposal of SDP MP Sasa Magazinovic to change the B&H Election Law in such a way to disable the possibility of one official being able to hold more than one post in state or entity authorities. The B&H HoP rejected the proposal to abolish anniversary awards for the delegates. The proposal of SDA delegate Denis Zvizdic to change the law on foreigners in order to enable easier deportation of migrants who commit crimes was adopted. Delegate of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic stated on Tuesday that the proposal of Magazinovic is acceptable and that certain standards need to be implemented. He stressed that the changes proposed by this law can be adopted only after general elections take place, since the main obligation is to adopt changes and amendments to the B&H Election Law in accordance with the agreement signed between two parties in Mostar. The proposal to abolish anniversary awards for the B&H HoP was rejected with the claims that the Constitutional and Legal Commission determined that this change goes against the Constitution. Delegate of SDS Mladen Bosic criticized the fact that the B&H HoP rejects proposals that were adopted by the majority in the B&H House of Representatives (B&H HoR), despite the fact that their party colleagues voted for these conclusions. He assessed that the goal is for HDZ B&H and SNSD to block the processes entirely, while SDA is their third partner in this.

Covic with State Department’s Chollet: Political agreement on electoral reforms and limited changes to the Constitution are necessary (Dnevni avaz)

Deputy speaker of the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) and President of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic had a conversation with Derek Chollet, who is an advisor at the US State Department. Daily notes that Covic wrote on Twitter: “Very constructive telephone conversation with Derek Chollet. Political agreement on electoral reforms and limited changes to the Constitution are necessary for removing every discrimination. HNS and HDZ B&H express full support to the goals”.

Milanovic to recall ambassador to Serbia over his alleged disregard for ethnic Croats (Hina)

Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic said on Tuesday that he would recall Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Hidajet Biscevic, after the ethnic Croat leader Tomislav Zigmanov criticized the diplomat for working against the Croats in Serbia. In the meantime, media outlets have reported that Ambassador Biscevic did not react to the developments in which ethnic Croats received death threats, and that he also failed to even telephone those members who received threats to express sympathy with them. Zigmanov, who is the leader of the Democratic party of Croats in Vojvodina (DSHV), recently claimed that the Croatian ambassador had made a “tepid reaction” to attempts by Serbian authorities in Subotica to introduce the Bunjevci vernacular as an official language in that northern city and that the ambassador communicated with people whom Zigmanov described as persons who are actively working on the destabilization and dissolution of the (ethnic Croat) community. All that prompted President Milanovic to say that he did not know whose policy Biscevic “is pursuing there.” I cannot know whether all those headlines are true and I will summon him back to Zagreb for consultations, Milanovic said in his address. Vecernji list daily has reported that on 30 March, Zigmanov sent a letter to Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman to inform him that Biscevic was working against the interests of the ethnic Croat community in Serbia.

Abazovic: We shouldn’t spark tensions over the agreement with SPC (CdM)

Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic stated that there was no need to spark tensions over the announced signing of the fundamental agreement between the state and the Serbian Orthodox Church, SPC. Asked how it was possible that he hadn’t seen the document, Abazovic said he would have an insight into it, and that as a deputy prime minister he could but didn’t want to do everything in the government. According to him, there’s no need for fueling tensions over the agreement and “it’s not so urgent to sign and publish it”. He pointed out that no one “can deprive us of the right to voice our opinion on a certain document” but wouldn’t like the situation with the religion law to repeat – when tensions ran high, but once the document was adopted, no one has ever mentioned it again.

In addition to vaccines, Macedonia will receive high-speed railroad line from Vucic (Republika)

Despite the fact that the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has his own concerns and must resolve the Kosovo issue, he also found time for our country’s problems. The news that the Serbian President together with the EU will reconstruct the railroad through Macedonia along Corridor 10 to the Greek border echoed with disbelief. He even calculated precisely that it would take three and a half hours from Belgrade to Skopje instead of 7-8 as needed with the current train. It is obvious that Vucic is becoming a regional player while the politicians from our country are playing in a municipal league. It is clear that Vucic is doing this in order to reach Greece faster from Serbia and to transport goods from the port of Thessaloniki to his country more easily. But, we in Macedonia will also see some benefit from this ambition. That Vucic’s intentions are serious is also shown by the fact that Serbia is among the leaders in the world in vaccination while Macedonia is waiting for alms. The very first aid came from Serbia, and even more of our citizens got vaccinated in Vranje, Nis and Belgrade than at home. As a “thank you” to Vucic, first the current health minister of North Macedonia Venko Filipce said that they would not procure Russian vaccines from Serbia, and then changed his position, like the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, the next day. Zaev and company should learn politics from Vucic that respect and trust is not gained by flattery and humility, but by a firm attitude.

Pendarovski meets top EU officials, says Macedonia is ready to resume talks with Bulgaria any time (Republika)

President Stevo Pendarovski met with EU officials in Brussels today to urge the opening of EU accession talks with Macedonia, and said that the country is prepared to resume negotiations with Bulgaria, who is vetoing the accession talks, as soon as possible. Bulgaria currently has no government after the inconclusive elections and its uncertain when or how any talks could begin. Pendarovski met with European Council President Charles Michel, Parliament Speaker David Sassoli, Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell. “We are ready to come back to the table. But our red lines are well known. It is now up to Bulgaria,” Pendarovski said, adding that it is likely Bulgaria will have to hold new elections in July and will be without a government that can make serious decisions until then.

Zaev congratulates Edi Rama in Albanian (Republika)

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev congratulated Edi Rama on his election win in a message in Macedonian, Albanian and English. Rama declared victory in a contested election.

“Congratulations to my dear friend Edi Rama on election victory. North Macedonia and Albania will continue forward even more bravely as NATO allies and towards the European integration agenda. Our region has a bright future through joint intensive cooperation, Zaev wrote in a series of tweets, one of which was in Albanian. Albanian news outlets noted the fact that the statement of congratulations from Zaev came in Albanian, and that Zaev called on Macedonians in Albania to vote for a candidate who was running on the list led by Rama. Rama helped Zaev grab power in 2017 when he prepared the so-called Tirana Platform between the Albanian parties in Macedonia. When VMRO-DPMNE refused to accept the concessions, the parties demanded with the Platform, Zaev agreed to them and received the Albanian support to form a government.

Rama declares victory as elections are marked again by vote-buying (Tirana Times)

With 95 percent of the votes from the parliamentary elections of 25 April counted, it is clear that the Socialist Party has won the majority of seats needed to form the government, securing 74 parliamentary seats, 3 more than the 71 required to form the parliament majority.  For the second time in a row, the SP guided by Prime Minister Edi Rama will have the numbers to govern without needing to form a coalition, while overall this would be the third term for him as Prime Minister. Rama wrote on Tuesday through his social media that a victory celebration will take place today at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, and invited the SP supporters and “whoever wants to join us celebrate the victory” to gather in the main square of the city. According to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), the SP has won 48,7 percent of the votes, or 74 mandates, the DP has received 39,4 percent of the votes, or 59 mandates, the SMI has received 6,85 percent of the votes, or 4 mandates, while the biggest surprise of this elections is without a doubt the Social-Democratic Party guided by Tom Doshi, who received 2,24 percent of the votes, or 3 mandates. According to the head of CEC, Ilirjan Celibashi, the turnout in the 25 April elections results to be so far 45,72 percent, less than the previously announced turnout of 48% two days ago. In the preliminary conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) published yesterday, “the ruling party derived significant advantage from its incumbency, including through its control of local administrations and from the misuse of administrative resources. This was amplified by positive coverage of state institutions in the media. Allegations of vote buying by political parties were pervasive during the campaign and a high number of investigations were opened in this regard.” According to IEOM, “widespread practices of vote-buying remained a problem,” adding that around 30 cases related to vote buying are under investigations. The IEOM witnessed also one case of money being distributed to voters outside the voting center. “The leaking of sensitive personal data, including political preferences of citizens, is of serious concern and makes voters vulnerable,” IEOM said.  In the preliminary results, it was mentioned that despite a legal framework, “ministers continued to campaign during official engagements. The resultant publicity gave the ruling party a significant advantage. The provision of incentives and alleged pressure on civil servants was of concern.” While the DP saw significant growth compared to the previous elections, it failed to stop Rama from securing a third term. During the election campaign, the leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha refused to answer questions about his fate in the DP in case of defeat, declaring with conviction that on 25 April, the opposition would win. It is unclear whether Basha will resign as DP leader after losing his second parliamentary election. Although not in the same ticket, Socialist Movement for Integration, the second-biggest opposition party, that had signed a pre-election agreement with the DP to form a government coalition after the elections in case of a possible win, received a huge blow, losing in many areas considered as strongholds. The SMI has secured only 4 parliamentary seats nationwide, an extraordinary contraction compared to 2017 when it had 19 seats. While it remains to be seen the official response from the DP and the SMI regarding the outcome of the elections, President Ilir Meta, declared that the elections were “calm” and “peaceful”. On various occasions, Meta had declared that in case of a possible win by Rama, he would have resigned the day after. Meanwhile, after Tom Doshi’s (Albanian businessman and politician, member of the Socialist Party of Albania in the last three legislatures) surprise resignation immediately after the start of the counting process, many analysts believe that the seats of SDP will support Rama’s government, considering the ties Doshi and Rama have had in the past. Doshi has been mentioned on many occasions by the US ambassador to Tirana, Yuri Kim, who before the elections urged Albanian institutions to prevent Doshi’s running in the elections, due to allegations of “significant corruption”. Although Rama has been previously urged not to collaborate with Doshi, after Doshi’s resignation it will be easier for Rama to cooperate with SDP.

President delivers a message to the citizens (Radio Tirana)

Albanian President Ilir Meta delivered a message to the citizens of the Republic, highlighting that until the final result is announced, political parties and their representatives must show prudence and calm. “On 25 April, you expressed your will to elect your representatives in the Albanian parliament. In these moments it is very important that this process be concluded calmly and that every vote, from Vermoshi to Konispol, be counted and administered according to the law. Until the final result is announced, political parties and their representatives must show prudence and calm. My major challenge, especially in the last two years, has been for the Sovereign to freely express his will and for Albania to return to the tracks of the Constitution, parliamentarism and political normalcy. Although alone in front of all the captured institutions, I managed to make 25 April a quiet, peaceful day, without scenes of violence and with your massive participation to exercise the right to vote. Although it seemed like an impossible challenge, I am happy that 25 April can serve the democracy and stability of the country. Now is the time to conclude the election process calmly and with respect for the law, and then for everyone to reflect until September, when new institutions stemming from the 25 April vote are created,” Meta said. This is the first public appearance since the start of the counting of votes in the 25 April elections, which confirmed a third term of the PM Edi Rama government.

EU calls for acceptance of result (Radio Tirana)

The High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell and the Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi through a joint statement to the media have called on political parties in Albania to accept the election results. “We encourage all parties involved in the vote counting process to proceed promptly and in accordance with established procedures. All political forces must ensure the efficient and democratic functioning of the institutions in the country as a result of these elections. This includes the responsibility to follow the democratic principle of respecting the election results,” the statement said. Borrel and Varhelyi also call for any irregularities to be reported to the Central Election Commission and the competent authorities, and for cases, including allegations of vote-buying, to be investigated. On Sunday, the people of Albania exercised their democratic right to vote. We commend all those who contributed to make this possible, despite the difficult context of COVID-19. The elections were held following a new electoral framework, adopted in line with OSCE / ODIHR recommendations. According to the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE / ODIHR Election Observation Mission, the parliamentary elections were generally well organized by the election administration, and the campaign was lively and comprehensive. Parties had sufficient confidence to participate and a reformed Central Election Commission (CEC) oversaw the election process in a transparent manner, enjoying the trust of parties at all levels. Observers report concerns about the misuse of state resources or functions by the ruling party and other public figures. We encourage all parties involved in the count to act promptly and in accordance with established procedures. All political forces must now ensure the effective and democratic functioning of the country’s institutions emerging from these elections. This includes the responsibility to follow the democratic principle of respecting the election result. Any alleged irregularities should be immediately brought to the attention of the Central Election Commission and other competent authorities, and cases should be properly investigated, including vote buying. As with the diplomatic observation activities on election day by the EU Delegation and the representatives of the Member States, the EU will continue to follow closely the electoral developments until the final certification of the results. Albania has come a long way on its path to the European Union, showing persistence in pursuing difficult reforms in the interest of the Albanian people. The transition period until the formation of the new parliament and government should not hamper the ongoing efforts to implement the necessary reforms. We would like to see the country enter the next phase of the accession process, with the holding of the first Intergovernmental Conference for the start of negotiations as soon as possible. We expect the Albanian parliament and the new government to continue resolutely pursuing the country’s reform agenda, especially with regard to the rule of law. We reiterate our call for a constructive and inclusive political dialogue on all sides, underlines the joint statement to the media.

Rapporteur for Albania in Bundestag: We need cooperation and not warfare! (Radio Tirana) 

The rapporteur for Albania in the Bundestag Manuel Sarrazin demands all-party cooperation for the reforms. After the reaction of the first two German parties to the elections in Albania, the third opposition party, the Greens, has already reacted. The party’s rapporteur Manuel Sarrazin focused on the call for serious and responsible cooperation on the path of reforms: “As in the government, as the opposition, all parties must now follow together the course of reforms with more responsibility and seriousness than before,” Sarrazin said in a written statement. This is a request that apparently goes more to the current opposition, which burned its mandate in 2019. According to the expert for Southeast Europe, the boycott of the parliament was undemocratic and inappropriate, given the great challenges the country faces. Sarrazin, who together with his Social Democrat colleagues in the Bundestag has always been for the unconditional start of negotiations, uses the opportunity to reiterate his long-standing request to start negotiations with Albania as soon as possible: “The EU must support the country on its path to the EU and keep its promises. Albania has long met the conditions for opening the first chapters and implemented the first reforms in the fields of justice, corruption and organized crime. If the EU indefinitely postpones the opening of the first accession talks, it will further weaken the credibility of the EU accession process,” he said.