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TIRANA, May 21 – The opposition faction of the Democratic Party (DP) led by Enkelejd Alibeaj which takes part in the talks on the election of the new president has not presented any candidacies yet which has worried the majority.
So the chairman of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party (SP), Taulant Balla said on Saturday that they are ready to welcome candidates coming from the opposition anytime until Sunday at 16.00 o’clock.
“To date, we have not received any official proposal from the opposition, whether 1,2,3,4 or 5 ones,” Balla said.
Alibeaj and him supporters withdrew when Socialists told them they could present one candidacy. Also, there is a growing criticism even from the faction’s ranks saying that everything is a farce serving the majority which already has the absolute majority to elect the president in the 4th and 5th rounds of parliament.
According to Balla, in case the proposals are submitted they will review them and express their opinion on them. “Nominations must be submitted by tomorrow at 16:00, the time for them to be officially submitted. For the Assembly to vote, the signatures of 20 deputies are needed,” he said.
The Alibeaj’s faction is composed of 26 deputies as the others belong to the Re-foundation Commission which will hold the election of the new head of the DP on May 22. The Commission does not recognize Alibeaj as head of the DP parliamentary group.
“We guarantee that we will take every proposal of theirs very seriously and we will evaluate it and say that this candidacy does not meet the expectations of the Albanians,” Balla said.
He added that the SP has said that it does not want a party president but a president for all Albanians.
“As we talked to Alibeaj, we want a President neither ours nor yours. So let’s choose him together. The SP team and I will stick to what we agreed on. We will not nominate any candidate on either May 23rd or May 30th. We stand by the agreement, so the Albanians stay with us, “he said.
The DP Re-foundation Commission, Socialist Movement for Integration and other opposition parties do not take part in this process, seeing in it a facade of SP to tell internationals that there was unanimity in the election of the president. The Republican Party head, Fatmir Mediu, who took part in the talks, has said it is needed a candidacy of the united opposition, something not accepted by SP as they reject any candidacy from the group of the former PM Sali Berisha, who apparently will be elected DP head. /Argumentum.al
