LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Everything ready for biggest rally ever, SNS to decide whether to join movement (Beta)

 

Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic said yesterday after a party presidency session that everything was ready for the party's upcoming assembly in Kragujevac on 27 May, as well as a massive rally scheduled to be held the day before that in Belgrade. Vucic said that it was normal for people in the country's biggest political party to be criticized the most and that it was arranged on 16 May for party activists to talk to citizens much more, listen to their problems and "work on the ground" more. "We have prepared everything for the Serbian Progressive Party's assembly, over 4,000 delegates are expected, who will choose a new leadership," Vucic said. He said that the new leadership would have to decide whether the party would join a new political movement which he was making. Vucic repeatedly called for members of the party to attend the rally which he said would be the biggest in Serbian history and stressed that "it must not be a rally of hatred". He added that the session had also addressed pressure over Kosovo and Metohija, as well as a report by the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic. "There is a de facto plan whose essence is that we recognise them (the so-called Kosovo) de facto and that they do not do anything. The largest party gave us support to find compromise, but also to protect Serbia's national interest," Vucic said. He said the economic situation had been discussed as well. "We will order the government to commence a reform of public enterprises and be more open when bringing in investors, and that the people's problems be solved, too," Vucic said. Vucic also said that since 8 May citizens had handed in 20,000 guns and explosive devices and almost a million bullets, as part of a campaign to collect unregistered weapons in the wake of two mass shootings. He said that he was proud of the response to the campaign and that the country was now much safer.

 

Significant contribution of Serbian Army to UN missions (Beta/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic underlined yesterday during the talks with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and UNMIK Head Caroline Ziadeh that Serbia pays special attention to cooperation with the UN, especially in the field of multinational operations. Vucevic emphasised that by engaging members of the Serbian Army in these operations, our country provides a very significant contribution to preserving the world peace. He highlighted the engagement of the Level 2+ Military Hospital in the UN MINUSCA mission in the Central African Republic, pointing out that we are facing certain problems regarding the said engagement, but that despite this, we strive to maintain the necessary capacity that meets the requirements of that mission. According to him, the Ministry of Defence has accepted the concept of gender equality and strives to increase the number of women in the positions of military observers, staff officers and within contingents, in accordance with the UN strategic documents for gender equality. Serbia is preparing proposals for new contributions that could be presented during the upcoming UN ministerial meeting dedicated to peace operations in Ghana, on 5-6 December this year, especially in the part related to the organisation of training in the field of peace operations at the Centre for Peace Operations of the Operational Directorate of the Serbian Army General Staff, said Vucevic. Lacroix expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation of the UN with Serbia to date, especially emphasising its contribution to the preservation of peace in the world through the participation of the Serbian Army in multinational operations, primarily the military medical forces in MINUSCA, as well as the contingent in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon.

 

Drecun: Goal is to force Belgrade to give up from ZSO by destabilizing dialogue (Tanjug/RTV)

 

The Chair of the parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun said today that the goal is to destabilize the dialogue and put pressure on Belgrade to recognize the fake state of Kosovo and renounce the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), as defined by the Brussels agreement. He pointed out for Tanjug that this is a well-planned destabilization of the dialogue and that Pristina has the support of at least some of the Quint countries. “That everything will begin to develop in an extremely negative direction was already seen after that meeting in Ohrid, when they failed to force Aleksandar Vucic to accept the EU agreement proposal and two key points that would be the de facto recognition of the fake state of Kosovo and its membership in international organizations,” says Drecun. He points out that even then it was clear that a completely different position would be taken towards Belgrade and that Pristina would be rewarded for undermining the dialogue, as well as that Belgrade would be punished for a constructive approach to the negotiations. He notes that this is happening right now, because a well-planned hybrid operation is underway and adds that the double goal of this is that Kurti is working together with some Western countries. “On the one hand, we need to leave the previous form of dialogue, because these were not talks between two states, but between Belgrade and Pristina, and this EU proposal treats Kosovo as a state and thus leaves the status-neutral form of talks,” he says. According to him, the second goal is to force Belgrade to renegotiate the ZSO, to renounce the Brussels agreements, especially those from 2013 and 2015, and then renegotiate. “Now the German ambassador joins the game, who often makes dangerous statements for the stability and survival of the Serb community, that the Albanians should draft the statute of the ZSO and that this Serb one is no good, because how will the Serbs draft their statute, which should protect their interests in Kosovo?! No, the Albanians will do that, and we know how they protect the interests of the Serbs,” said Drecun and reminded that only 95,000 Serbs remained in Kosovo and Metohija, and that the return of those 220,000 is disabled, who were expelled, because they had to leave in order to save their lives. “The problem is that from the beginning Pristina will not realize it, because the goal of Pristina and the Quint is not to reach the ZSO,” concluded Drecun.

 

Petkovic: This is last moment to discipline Kurti (Tanjug/RTV)

 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Tuesday that, following Monday's round of the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, it was "clear as day" that Pristina had no intent of engaging in constructive discussions on a Community of Serb Municipalities or any other aspect of normalisation of relations. This is the last moment to discipline Kurti, not only to stop him from undermining the dialogue process openly and publicly, but also to thwart his clear intent of destabilizing the region, Petkovic said in a statement released by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. To say the least, Kurti is ridiculing all participants of the dialogue - including EU representatives - and laughing in their faces by blaming Belgrade for the stall in the talks, just a day after Pristina's representative Besnik Bislimi acted not only non-constructively but also brazenly in discussions, Petkovic said. He noted that, consistently and for years, Belgrade had been approaching the dialogue in good faith and in a constructive manner, out of the belief that normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations was in mutual interest. There are unbeatable arguments to substantiate this claim at any time, Petkovic added. "It is now clear to everyone that Kurti and his extremist circle in Pristina are not interested in solving problems and disagreements by civilised and political means, but solely in violence and unilateral changes to the situation on the ground, including constant provocations and threats to the security and the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic said.

 

Petkovic: Shooting in the direction of the Serbian school in the village of Ugljare - 331st attack on Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija (TV Pink)

 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said today that the shooting in the direction of the Serbian elementary school in the village of Ugljare in central Kosovo represents the 331st attack on the Serb environment and the Serb people in that province, which testifies to the situation in which Serbs and everyone live today in Kosovo and Metohija, primarily non-Albanians. Petkovic said on TV Pink that last night around 11 pm, unknown assailants from a moving vehicle shot in the direction of the Serbian elementary school in Ugljare and that at that moment there were three Roma children in the schoolyard, three boys aged 13, 15 and 17. "They were unharmed only by sheer luck, given that a weapon was fired in their direction," Petkovic pointed out and added that the car from which the shot was fired headed in the direction of Preoce, towards the Albanian area. "That's why dialogue is important to us and we insist on it all the time, in order to save the lives of people on the ground," Petkovic pointed out. He emphasized that literally only one spark is needed in Kosovo for things to go in a completely negative direction and assessed that the prime minister of the provisional institutions of Pristina Albin Kurti, knows and uses this, causing new incidents every day. According to Petkovic, Kurti wants to produce some kind of excessive reaction of the Serbian people to Kosovo because he knows that, whatever conflicts and crises break out, the West will always blame Belgrade and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. "And here it is really absolutely true that President Aleksandar Vucic is in a way doubly pressured - on the one hand by the international community, but on the other hand, by our people who live in Kosovo and Metohija, who are waiting and expecting a much stronger reaction from the state of Serbia, and we are doing everything to preserve the peace precisely for the sake of our people in Kosovo and Metohija," said Petkovic. According to him, Kurti wants to provoke a reaction on the ground in order to push the state of Serbia and the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija into conflict with the international community. "The crisis is the only way that suits Kurti to avoid his obligation to form the ZSO," said Petkovic.

 

Azerbaijan and Serbia, together in defence of international law (RTV)

 

Serbian parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic visited Baku yesterday to attend the special session of the parliament of Azerbaijan (Milli Majlis), marking the centenary of the birth of former President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. In his address at the session, Orlic expressed his respect for the results achieved by Heydar Aliyev, leading his country and people, especially as regards of gaining independence, preserving stability and the economic revival of Azerbaijan. He said that Azerbaijan is still experiencing dynamic development in all areas, as evidenced by Serbia. "Our two countries have many things in common: traditional friendship, strategic partnership and above all - a principled commitment to respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. In this matter, Serbia and Azerbaijan stand united in the international arena, respecting the UN charter and the norms of international law based on the UN order," said Orlic. Orlic met with the host of the session, the speaker of the parliament of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova, at whose invitation he came to Baku. The officers agreed that the relations between the two countries have reached the highest level ever, opining that they are based on the mutual respect and trust of the two leaders, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. They noted that the strengthening of ties between the parliaments at all levels, as well as internationally, contributes to the strengthening of bilateral relations and improvement of overall cooperation. In that regard, Orlic expressed satisfaction with the announced visit of Gafarova to Belgrade. In the course of the meeting, Azerbaijan’s principled position was once again confirmed, as well as the mutual support of the principles of international law. "Our two countries share the same values and stand on the same side in terms of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all UN member states, Republic of Serbia included, regardless of all the challenges the world is facing today", said the Speaker of the Mejlis, which Dr Orlic thanked her for. "The Republic of Serbia greatly appreciates the support of the Republic of Azerbaijan, once again confirmed by its vote in the Council of Europe. We consider this act as proof of sincere friendship and strong partnership, which we will always be ready to reciprocate," said the speaker. In the course of the meeting, the officials also talked about strengthening cooperation in all areas of interest, primarily in the sphere of economy in which the Republic of Serbia has been recording historic results, as well as in the spheres of energy and agriculture. The special session of the Milli Majlis was attended by a large number of heads of parliament and international parliamentary organisations who paid tribute to the Azerbaijani national leader by laying wreaths, and with whom the speaker have the opportunity to meet on the sidelines of the session.

 

Serbia implements judgments of European Court of Human Rights (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Minister of Justice Maja Popovic spoke yesterday with Director of the Directorate-General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe Christophe Poirel about the upcoming steps in the implementation of new judicial laws, as well as the dynamics of the planned activities in the field of strengthening the rule of law in Serbia. Popovic underlined that Serbia executes the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and thus contributes to a higher level of legal security and effective protection of basic rights in our country. Poirel said that the Council of Europe is Serbia’s partner and expressed readiness to develop cooperation in the future.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Third expert consultation meeting on state property held; Forestry assets in focus of discussion (Nova BH)

 

The third expert consultation meeting on state property was held in Sarajevo on Monday and the topic of the discussion were possibilities to regulate forests as part of a comprehensive solution to the state property issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The experts discussed and evaluated technical and legal aspects of ownership and use of forestry assets in B&H and other countries, as well as management and protection of forestry assets. Nova BH reports that the Working Group, formed by the Office of the High Representatives (OHR) in B&H aims at facilitating the B&H Parliament’s work in resolving the issue of state property. “An acceptable and sustainable resolution of the apportionment of property between the state and other levels of government is the first objective of the 5+2 agenda”, reads the statement by OHR. The meeting was held in the premises of the German Embassy in Sarajevo.

 

OHR’s media campaign on state property sparks reactions in the RS; Stevandic: OHR does not respect institutions; Mazalica: Schmidt might be preparing to impose new decisions (RTRS)

 

The announced media campaign of the OHR on – as RTRS reported – “so-called importance of resolving the issue of state property” caused harsh reactions in Republika Srpska (RS). Namely, RTRS carried that, on the official website, the OHR published the call for media that want to advertise why it is important for the public to support the state property issue resolving and, for this purpose, BAM 68,000 has been allocated. The RS officials both from the ruling majority and the opposition warned that there can be no concessions when it comes to the issue of property, and they sent a unanimous message that OHR’s media manipulations are yet another attempt of carrying out political violence by which the RS would be deprived of its competence over its property. According to RS officials, the property issue has been resolved through the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). In addition, the OHR led by Christian Schmidt, whom the RS authorities do not recognize as the High Representative (HR) as his legitimacy has not been confirmed in the UN Security Council (UN SC), formed a working group for the property issue but it is unknown who the working group’s members are. Speaker of the RS parliament Nenad Stevandic said that the OHR does not respect institutions. “The OHR is trying to gain attention and disavow the will of the institutions in some collateral ways. I think it is a sign of some kind of weakness, because why would they repeat it so much if they have any power and influence on the registration of property of the RS. They do not, it is ours and will remain ours”, Stevandic noted. RS SNSD’s representative Srdjan Mazalica warned that Schmidt might be preparing to impose new decisions, to transfer the competences onto the level of B&H and to hinder the RS citizens’ exercise of rights to property. Mazalica emphasized that the issue of state property was not a problem for many years after signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and the entities continued to regulate property-legal issues without any problems. NPS leader Darko Banjac noted that the OHR is maintaining tensions in B&H to deprive the RS of its competences more easily. “With the attack on the property, it clearly and precisely shows that its role is not stabilization but rather complete undermining of the DPA”, Banjac underscored. Banjac emphasized that all property belongs to the entities, and not to the state.

 

Dodik says US Embassy’s interpretation of B&H Constitution is malicious (Nezavisne)

 

Reacting to the press release issued by the US Embassy to B&H in relation to state property, RS President Milorad Dodik said that the US Embassy’s interpretation of B&H Constitution is ‘malicious’ and he reiterated that the property issue was solved by the Dayton Peace Agreement and Constitution of B&H and he argued that all property in the territory of the RS belongs to the RS, while property in the territory of the Federation of B&H (FB&H) belongs to the FB&H. “There will be no and there can be no discussion on this”, Dodik said and added that the US Embassy to B&H was not invited by anyone to interpret the Dayton Peace Agreement or Constitution of B&H “so their opinion on property is not mandatory for anyone”. The daily reminded that representatives of the RS recently suspended cooperation with US and UK diplomats because they deemed their interpretation of the Constitution of B&H was a proof of a plan to forcibly take away property which the RS obtained in Dayton.

 

Izetbegovic: Dodik and Covic got servile structure (Dnevni list)

 

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic stated that the opposition was giving many promises, talking about principles, meritocracy etc., but they sold all this within a few months only in order to get positions (in the authorities). Izetbegovic said: “They have sold human dignity by constant going to the feet of (SNSD leader Milorad) Dodik and (HDZ B&H leader Dragan) Covic. They have got a chance and we now see what they are doing.” As for the relation of the international factor, Izetbegovic said that some IC representatives have trampled on all principles that they advocated. He explained: “They insisted that B&H politicians must reach an agreement and then they ban some to reach agreements with SDA. They were withdrawing before arrogance of Dodik, and they were helping Covic. The true reason of such relation towards SDA is that they intend to please interests of big ones, first of all Belgrade and Zagreb, at the expense of smaller ones- Bosniaks, Montenegrins, Kosovo people. They intend to do some things at our expense to secure stability, while we shall pay the price.” Commenting on the latest decisions of the High Representative (HR Christian Schmidt), Izetbegovic said that the HR changed the FB&H Constitution two times with preciseness of a surgeon, in order to protect HDZ B&H. He added that the second solution was one-off solution at ‘our’ expense. The SDA leader noted that this was in effect for one day only “to avoid the will of the FB&H Vice President, who is a Bosniak”. Izetbegovic concluded that they excluded from power the one that was the will of people at all levels. He added that SNSD and HDZ B&H want division of the pro-Bosnian bloc, and they want as their partners a weaker part of that bloc, that wants power at all costs. “They have got one servile structure, which cedes positions before the eyes of the public. Bosniaks have already been reduced to 25% of posts in the B&H Council of Ministers”, said Izetbegovic, adding that “we will force them to work in interest of the citizens, but will not let them cross the red lines”.

 

RS and Serbia can build 'New Eastern Interconnection' pipeline without state institutions (Nezavisne)

 

Although the B&H Council of Ministers approved the start of negotiations on the project of construction of the ‘New Eastern Interconnection’ gas pipeline, it is very likely that B&H Presidency will not be able to reach consensus on this matter. Namely, B&H Presidency members Denis Becirovic and Zeljko Komsic stated that they will not give their consent for the project unless the state law on gas is adopted, which is something that RS refuses. Legal experts from the RS claim that the RS can engage in this project on its own, without the state-level institutions. According to them, this project should not be regulated by the Law on Procedures for Signing and Implementing International Agreements, but by B&H Constitution and the Agreement on Establishing of Special and Parallel Relations between the RS and Serbia. Article 3.2 of B&H Constitution allows entities to have “special parallel relations with the neighboring states, in line with sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H”. Based on this provision, the RS and Serbia signed the Agreement on Establishing of Special and Parallel Relations in 2006, and the Agreement was ratified by the RS National Assembly in 2007. Constitutional law expert Milan Blagojevic stated that the special relations include all contractual relations, also in the field of economy. In his opinion, in order to build the gas pipeline, it is not necessary to sign a bilateral agreement between B&H and Serbia.

 

Awaiting DIK’s confirmation: 17 parliamentary candidates lists submitted (CdM)

 

Parliamentary candidates lists for the upcoming early parliamentary elections were submitted by 17 parties, coalitions and civil lists. Now it is the turn of the State Election Commission (DIK) to confirm the lists, and on 11 June, citizens will say what they think about this year’s offer. Certainly, Montenegro, even if it had ten million inhabitants, and not a little more than 600,000, would have to be “satisfied” with this number of registered candidates for parliamentary seats, and the formation of a new government. If DIK determines that a list contains some deficiencies, it will issue, within 48 hours of receipt of the list, a conclusion ordering the submitter to eliminate those deficiencies, no later than 48 hours after the submission of the conclusion.

 

Varhelyi: Montenegro needs a stable government and parliament capable of progressing in accession negotiations (CdM)

 

Montenegro needs a stable government and parliament capable of progressing in the accession negotiations with the EU by improving the rule of law, said European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. He stated on Twitter that on the sidelines of the "EU Meeting the Balkans: 50 Years of Enlargement" forum held in Sofia, he spoke with the president of the parliament of Montenegro Danijela Djurovic about the extraordinary parliamentary elections that are being held in Montenegro on 11 June. "Montenegro needs a stable government and parliament that could advance in the accession negotiations by improving the rule of law. The EU is ready to deliver," said Varhelyi.

 

US Department of State on religious freedom: Incidents across Montenegro prompt worries (CdM/VoA)

 

In the 2022 annual report on international religious freedom, the US Department of State suggests that several religious communities reported incidents in Montenegro that prompt worries. The document refers to the policies of state authorities that violate religious beliefs of various groups, denominations and individuals, as well as US efforts to promote international religious freedom. Every year, the US Department of State submits reports on religious freedom on a global level to the Congress, Voice of America reports. In the report’s part concerning Montenegro, the US Department of State mentions incidents in 2022, underlining the one when unidentified persons stoned premises of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). It also mentions the media allegations that a nun of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) reportedly removed the national flag from the fence of Cetinje monastery and threw it on the ground. According to the U.S. Department of State, the Islamic community reported anti-Islamic and Serbian, nationalist messages from the Petrovac fans during the visit of the team from Plav (Football Club Jezero). It also notes that the Jewish community in Montenegro has reported it feels threatened due to billboards mentioning the ‘nakba’ – which alludes to the alleged displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the Israeli state. However, the report suggests, religious discrimination and hate speech are prohibited by law, noting that religious groups can get a legal status without the registration.

 

Bytyqi with EP delegation: Implementing comprehensive reforms for EU integration (MIA)

 

The government’s measures tackling the economic and energy crisis, as well as the reforms necessary for the fulfillment of North Macedonia’s strategic goal of EU membership, were at the focus of Tuesday’s meeting between Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Economic affairs Fatmir Bytyqi and a delegation from the European Parliament led by MEP Andreas Schieder, said the government in a press release. In the introductory address at the meeting, the Vice President of the European Parliament, Rainer Wieland, stressed that North Macedonia is exceptionally important for the EU and that he recognizes the reforms being implemented by the country during its efforts to join the Union. According to the press release, at the meeting, Bytyqi informed the members of the European delegation about the efforts being made by the country and the significant progress in the fulfillment of the EU accession criteria, which is a result of the comprehensive reforms implemented in various sectors, demonstrating the country’s commitment to an accelerated alignment with EU standards and complete respect for European values. “These efforts cover key areas such as rule of law, independence of the judiciary, anti-corruption measures, press freedom and the protection of human rights. Our progress is serious proof of our commitment as a Government to fully respect the same values. Apart from bolstering our commitment to these principles, our EU membership will also secure a sustainable framework for development, economic prosperity and strengthened regional cooperation,” said Bytyqi. The Deputy PM touched upon measures aimed at stabilizing the economy and incentivizing growth. “We focused on reforms for attracting foreign investments, strengthening competitiveness and encouraging entrepreneurship. The initiatives have given positive results and led to an increase in direct foreign investments and the creation of new job, despite the challenging circumstances,” said Bytyqi, adding that North Macedonia has a solid institutional framework and strategy for the promotion and facilitating of investments. Bytyqi voiced gratitude for the great financial aid and support that the country received from the EU during the energy crisis, and which it is still receiving through the IPA, the Western Balkans Investment Framework, and in the form of macro financial support. Additionally, the Deputy PM informed the MEPs about the Government’s domestic efforts during the energy crisis, subsidizing electricity for 650.000 households and 70.000 businesses. Deputy PM Bytyqi also spoke about the anti-Covid measures, as a result of which over 140.000 jobs were saved, and about the price caps which led to a reduction of inflation. At the meeting, the Deputy PM was accompanied by Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Kaja Shukova, the State Secretary at the Secretariat for European Affairs, Drita Abdiu Halili, the State Counselor at the Secretariat for European Affairs, Dragan Tilev, and members from the Deputy PM’s Office.

 

EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee meets in Skopje (MIA)

 

The 21st meeting of the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee is taking place in the Parliament on May 16-17, co-chaired by MP Sonja Mirakovska and Member of European Parliament (MEP) Andreas Schieder. The meeting is focus on exchange of opinions among representatives of the Government, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) on EU-North Macedonia relations, the Parliament said in a press release. The meeting includes addresses by Secretariat for European Affairs State Secretary Drita Abdiu Halili on the government's behalf, EU Ambassador David Geer on behalf of the EEAS, and Swedish Ambassador Ami Larsson Jain on behalf of the current EU Presidency. On Tuesday, discussions will refer to the rule of law and fight against corruption, civil society and media, goodneighborly relations and regional cooperation. Wednesday's agenda is tackling measures to counter pollution and energy crisis, followed by the adoption of the recommendations and the report of the Jean Monnet Dialogue.

 

Pendarovski meets with Germany's special envoy Sarrazin (MIA)

 

President Stevo Pendarovski hosted Tuesday the German Federal government Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin. At their meeting, they discussed North Macedonia's European integration process as well as the latest political developments in the country and the region. According to an official press release, President Pendarovski voiced his expectations of the German authorities to continue their strong support for the country's accession to the European Union. He noted that speeding up the integration process would improve the region's political, security and economic stability. Pendarovski also welcomed Sarrazin's important post as Germany's Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans, which he said was another confirmation of the German government's commitment to supporting the region.

 

Official/Celibashi: 38% of voters who were on the voter list took part in the election (Radio Tirana)

 

The State Commissioner for Elections Ilirjan Celibashi has officially published the number of voters who participated in the local elections of 14 May 2023. According to Celibashi, 38% of voters who were on the lists participated in these elections. "This is the official figure of participation in the elections. This figure has to do with the number of voters for mayors, but it more or less corresponds to municipal councils as well", stated Celibashi. The official list of voters consisted of 3,650,550 Albanian citizens with the right to vote. Of these, 122,545 voters were voting for the first time. In the 14 May elections, 1,395,360 voters voted. Celibashi has officially made public the names of the mayors, who won in these elections where 53 mandates were taken by the SP; 7 mandates from the "Together We Win" coalition and 1 mandate from the MEGA party. Chief Commissioner Celibashi also clarified his position regarding the malfunction of electronic identification devices on election day. According to him, only 5% of the voting centers were opened after 08:00 and this delay, according to him, did not have a big impact on the process. "90% of voting centers were opened between 07:00 and 07:30. Only 5% after 8 o'clock. For another 5%, the opening process started between 08:00 and 09:30. So there are only 5% of the centers where the process started after 8 o'clock. These are the facts. Based on these facts, evaluations can be made, but not that these delays have negatively affected the progress of the process", Celibashi said.

 

SP wins 53 municipalities/ Rama thanks the citizens (Radio Tirana)

 

The Prime Minister, at the same time the head of the SP, Edi Rama thanked all the citizens who voted for the SP candidates in the May 14 elections. For the first time, the Socialist Party will lead the Municipality of Shkoder with Benet Beci at the head, the municipality which since 1992 has been led by the candidates of the Democratic Party. According to the results of the CEC, Beci leads with 34,470 votes and the "Together We Win" coalition candidate, Bardh Spahia, with 22,769 votes. The Prime Minister declared yesterday evening that after returning from the Summit of the Leaders of the Council of Europe in Iceland, he will start the thanksgiving tour from Shkodra, where he emphasized his determination to make a new history in the northern city in many dimensions. "I need to go to Shkoder as soon as possible, to start from the city most blessed by God and most mistreated by slaves, a thanksgiving tour throughout Albania," said Rama. He emphasized that they should do not what they said, but even more because Shkodra was not given a chance, but a very strong belief. Rama pointed out that "this is a very strong belief that can turn in a short time into a very big mistrust if we are not up to this challenge". "I challenged Shkodra several times. I failed several times. This time, Shkodra has made me and us a bigger challenge than all the challenges we made together", declared Rama, adding that Shkodra is the main word of the mandate that will start in a few months. The Socialist Party has won the majority of municipalities in the local elections of May 14, securing 53 municipalities, while the 'Together We Win' coalition has won 7 municipalities. In Finiq, Romeo Capuli of the "Greek Ethnic Minority for the Future" won, with 38.59% of the votes. Currently, the counting of votes is continuing for the municipal councils where the Socialist Party leads in most of the municipalities.

 

Ruling Socialists score sweeping victory in Albania’s municipal elections (Tirana Times)

 

Albania’s ruling Socialist Party has scored a sweeping victory, the largest in post-communist Albania in a competitive election, winning 54 of the country’s 61 mayoral elections, including every single large city. Counting is still taking place for municipal council seats, which will give a chance to the 40 parties and several independents running to see the support they enjoy.

 

Socialists become dominant party

The Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama has won all the key mayoral races of the largest cities of Tirana and Durres, as well as Shkoder, the municipality they had never been able to win since the fall of communism. SP also has confirmed wins by wide margin in Vlore, Korce, Fier and Elbasan. In Tirana, incumbent Socialist mayor Erion Veliaj won with more than 57,000 votes than the center-right coalition candidate, Belind Kellici. In third place was hard left newcomer Arlind Qorri with 4.7 percent of the vote. Democratic Party faction candidate Roland Bejko ended in fourth place with 4.3 percent of the votes. The other two candidates received less than 1 percent of the vote. In Durres, a city where a close race was predicted, the Socialist candidate Emiriana Sako won with a safe margin over the opposition candidate Igli Cara. A big blow for the opposition is the city of Shkoder, its historical stronghold, where the socialist candidate Benet Beci won over incumbent Bardh Spahia. SP has become Albania’s dominant party in the past decade, holding power centrally and locally over a divided opposition.

 

Opposition’s worst result on record

SP’s main rivals -- the Together We Win coalition -- have suffered the worst electoral results for the opposition ever, with the exception of the 2019 elections, which the opposition boycotted. They’ve only been able to win a handful of small municipalities. Together We Win coalition consists of the Democrats led by former prime minister Sali Berisha, the Freedom Party of former president Ilir Meta, and the Union for Human Rights Party of the Greek minority and Christian Democrats. The coalition scored a consolation price win in Kavaja, a center-right bastion, in a tight race. The other small municipalities coalition won in Has, Mirdita, Puke, Fushe Arrez, Memaliaj and Himara. The latter turned into a hotspot, after the arrest of opposition candidate Fredi Beleri, under accusations of vote buying, an arrest that led to a spat with neighboring Greece as he is a representative of a Greek minority party. Beleri has won in a tight race, according to the preliminary results.

 

Low turnout

The elections saw a lowest turnover ever in competitive elections in post-communist Albania at 36 percent.  Voter turnout was much lower than the most recent general elections, according to data from the Central Election Commission. About 1.25 million votes were cast on Sunday, out of 3.65 million citizens that have the right to vote. About one third are believed to live abroad and cannot vote unless they travel back to Albania. Albania is in the midst of a new emigration wave, so that has influenced the vote too, according to analysts, but numbers also indicate that many opposition supporters who reside in Albania did not turn out to vote as divisions inside the opposition had turned off many voters. The only municipality that was not won by either of the two main groupings was that of Finiq, a Greek minority municipality, where the Socialists did not compete, allowing the Mega Party, which is mainly supported by the Greek minority, to win.