What is hindering Albania’s free and fair elections?

One week ago, on the verge of Albania’s parliamentary elections, the EU’s High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Stefan Fule encouraged Albanian political leaders to reinforce trust in the electoral process among the public and make everything possible for the election results to be accepted by all parties. This statement is a logical follow up of the 2009 elections where a series of incidents beleaguered the process and the Socialist Party (PS) refused to accept the Democratic Party’s (PD) victory by boycotting the Parliament for about two straight years. Regrettably, Albania still falls short of conducting sound elections, which for Ashton and Fule reportedly ‘represent a crucial test for the country’s democratic institutions and its progress towards the European Union’. Yesterday’s elections have once again shown to be problematic and far from being considered free and fair. This will make it more difficult for Albania to claim progress in the fulfillment the other EU criteria, and hence it will make it harder for the country to move beyond the current status of “potential candidate” any time soon.