TIRANA: An opposition activist was killed in an apparently politically motivated shooting in Albania yesterday during a crucial election that could determine whether one of Europe’s poorest countries has a chance of joining the EU.
The shootout in the northern town of Lac “might be related to the vote,” police spokeswoman Alma Katragjini said. The dead man was identified as a 53-year old activist with the Socialist-led coalition of former Tirana mayor Edi Rama, while among three people wounded was a candidate from the ruling Democratic party of conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
Rama — whose coalition has a slight edge in the election race according to analysts — branded the shooting a “serious political incident... aimed at intimidating the voters”. “Berisha should take responsibility... and pay for it,” the 48-year-old Rama told reporters after rushing to Lac.
Accusations of vote-buying and electoral roll irregularities have been flying between the rivals, raising concerns of a repeat of the 2009 polls which triggered months of political turmoil and government paralysis. Around 6,000 police were on duty to try to keep the peace.
Berisha, seeking his third mandate to lead the Muslim majority nation after eight years in power, vowed that “the will of citizens shall be respected” at the polls.
Having failed to deliver clean elections since the fall of communism two decades ago, Albania desperately needs to prove that it is able to hold fair polls that meet international standards if it is to have a shot at joining the EU.
AFP
