TIRANA (Albania), February 21 (SeeNews) – The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said on Thursday that the Albanian opposition's decision to leave parliament seriously hinders the functioning of democracy in Albania.
The opposition parties called a protest on Thursday following a decision to give up their parliamentary mandates in order to trigger a snap vote. The move came after thousands marched in Tirana over the weekend to demand the resignation of Socialist prime minister Edi Rama, accusing the government of corruption.
“In view of the protests in Albania today, we reaffirm the right of citizens to engage in peaceful demonstrations as an essential feature and a core value of democracy, but we strongly denounce any rhetoric by political leaders calling for violence,” they said in a joint statement.
The statement also noted that the parliament is the place where reforms and relevant developments should be discussed and taken forward, not boycotted.
“These decisions and acts are counterproductive, go against the democratic choice of Albanian citizens and undermine the progress the country has made on the European Union path,” the statement said, adding that the EU expects all members of the Albanian parliament to defend the ideals and principles of democracy, to continue serving in the parliament, and to take any necessary measure to avoid violent acts and incendiary statements.
“We equally expect the government and the opposition to engage in constructive discussions with a view to overcoming the current political situation to the benefit of Albania and its citizens,” the statement added.
According to Albania’s constitution, an early election can be called only if the government loses a vote of no-confidence in parliament.
Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to launch membership negotiations later this year.