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Voice of America, 97-06-29Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>CONTENTS
[01] ALBANIA ELECT (S) BY KYLE KING (TIRANA)DATE=6/29/97TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-216426 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: VOTERS IN ALBANIA ARE GOING TO THE POLLS IN FIRST-ROUND ELECTIONS THAT COULD MAKE OR BREAK EFFORTS TO BRING A MEASURE OF STABILITY BACK TO THE COUNTRY. FROM TIRANA, V-O-A'S KYLE KING REPORTS. TEXT: ALBANIANS BEGAN LINING UP TO VOTE SHORTLY AFTER POLLING STATIONS OPENED, EARLY THIS MORNING. OFFICIALS OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE -- WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE THE VOTE -- SAY MOST POLLING STATIONS OPENED ON TIME, DESPITE SOME LAST MINUTE PROBLEMS WITH THE BALLOTS. HUNDREDS OF OBSERVERS MONITORING THE VOTE, WHICH IS BEING HELD UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED DURING A WAVE OF UNREST TRIGGERED BY THE COLLAPSE OF GET-RICH-QUICK INVESTMENT SCHEMES. INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS SAY THEY DO NOT EXPECT THE VOTE TO BE PERFECT. BUT THEY ARE HOPING TO AVOID A REPEAT OF THE VIOLENCE AND FRAUD THAT TOOK PLACE DURING PREVIOUS ELECTIONS HELD SINCE THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNIST RULE. A SEVEN THOUSAND-PERSON MULTINATIONAL FORCE IS HELPING PROVIDE
SOME SECURITY FOR THE ELECTION. (SIGNED)
[02] ALBANIA ELECT (S UPDATE) BY KYLE KING (TIRANA)DATE=6/29/97TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-216429 CONTENT= VOICED AT: ///// UPDATES WITH NEW DETAILS THRUOUT. /////INTRO: VOTERS IN ALBANIA ARE GOING TO THE POLLS IN FIRST-ROUND ELECTIONS MANY PEOPLE ARE HOPING WILL BRING A MEASURE OF STABILITY BACK TO THE COUNTRY. FROM TIRANA, KYLE KING REPORTS. TEXT: THE TURNOUT WAS BRISK AS ALBANIANS BEGAN VOTING IN THEIR THIRD MULTI-PARTY ELECTIONS SINCE THE FALL OF COMMUNISM IN 1990. OFFICIALS SAY THERE HAVE BEEN SOME MINOR IRREGULARITIES, BUT MOST POLLING STATIONS OPENED ON TIME AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO MAJOR INCIDENTS. HUNDREDS OF INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS ARE MONITORING THE VOTE, WHICH IS TAKING PLACE UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY IMPOSED FOLLOWING A POPULAR UNREST TRIGGERED BY THE COLLAPSE OF PYRAMID INVESTMENT SCHEMES. A SEVEN-THOUSAND MAN MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE IS HELPING PROVIDE SECURITY. THE POLLS WILL CLOSE THREE HOURS EARLY TO TRY TO PREVENT A REPEAT OF THE VIOLENCE AND ELECTION FRAUD THAT MARRED ELECTIONS IN MAY OF LAST YEAR. IN ADDITION TO A REFERENDUM ON RE-ESTABLISHING THE MONARCHY,
VOTERS WILL BE ELECTING A NEW 155-SEAT PARLIAMENT. RUN-OFF
ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD NEXT WEEK. (SIGNED)
[03] ALBANIA ELECT (S 2ND UPDATE) BY KYLE KING (TIRANA)DATE=6/29/97TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-216438 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: AT LEAST ONE PERSON HAS BEEN REPORTED KILLED SUNDAY DURING FIRST-ROUND VOTING IN THE VIOLENCE-TORN NATION OF ALBANIA. KYLE KING REPORTS FROM THE ALBANIAN CAPITAL OF TIRANA INITIAL REPORTS INDICATE THE SHOOTING VICTIM WAS A MEMBER OF A LOCAL ELECTION COMMISSION IN THE SOUTHERN TOWN OF FIER. TEXT: AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN TIRANA, EUROPEAN OFFICIALS HELPING TO MONITOR THE VOTE SAID THERE HAD ALSO BEEN SOME REPORTS OF BALLOT BOX STUFFING. PRESIDENT SALI BERISHA'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND ITS MAIN CHALLENGER, THE SOCIALISTS, HAVE COMPLAINED OF IRREGULARITIES IN THE VOTE BUT SAID THEY WOULD RESPECT THE OUTCOME. TURNOUT FOR THE ELECTION APPEARED TO BE HIGH AND THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF THE KIND OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD AND VIOLENCE THAT MARRED LAST YEAR'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. HUNDREDS OF INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS ARE MONITORING THE ELECTION, WHICH IS TAKING PLACE UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY IMPOSED AFTER AN EXPLOSION OF POPULAR UNREST, TRIGGERED BY THE COLLAPSE OF "PYRAMID" INVESTMENT SCHEMES. MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE UNREST SINCE
THEN. (SIGNED)
[04] ALBANIA ELECT (L) BY KYLE KING (TIRANA)DATE=6/29/97TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-216443 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: AT LEAST ONE PERSON HAS BEEN REPORTED KILLED IN ALBANIA DURING FIRST ROUND ELECTIONS AIMED AT RETURNING A MEASURE OF STABILITY TO THE VIOLENCE-TORN NATION. FROM TIRANA, KYLE KING REPORTS. TEXT: GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SAY ONE MEMBER OF A LOCAL ELECTION COMMISSION WAS KILLED DURING AN INCIDENT NEAR THE SOUTHERN TOWN OF FIER. THE SHOOTING WAS THE FIRST TO BE REPORTED DURING SUNDAY'S VOTE, WHICH WAS HELD UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY IMPOSED DURING AN EXPLOSION OF POPULAR UNREST TRIGGERED BY THE COLLAPSE OF HIGH-RISK INVESTMENT SCHEMES. AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN TIRANA, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE ITALIAN-LED MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE HELPING PROVIDE SECURITY FOR THE ELECTION TOLD REPORTERS, THROUGH AN INTERPRETER, GUNMEN HAD ENTERED SOME POLLING STATIONS DURING THE VOTE. /// INTERPRETER ACT ///AND WAS ACTUALLY MAKING THE COMMISSIONERS AT POLLING STATIONS STUFF BALLOT BOXES. /// END ACT ///PRESIDENT SALI BERISHA'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND ITS MAIN CHALLENGER THE SOCIALISTS HAVE BOTH COMPLAINED OF IRREGULARITIES IN THE VOTE. TURNOUT FOR THE ELECTION APPEARED TO BE HIGH AND MANY VOTERS SAID THEY HOPED THE NEW PARLIAMENT WOULD BRING AN END TO THE UNREST, WHICH HAS LEFT MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED PEOPLE DEAD. /// ALBANIAN ACT, ESTABLISH AND FADE ///THIS MAN SAID HE FEELS OPTIMISTIC AFTER CASTING HIS BALLOT IN TIRANA. HE SAYS HE HOPES THE PARLIAMENT WILL BE PLURALISTIC AND THE DIFFERENT PARTIES WILL TAKE PART. HUNDREDS OF INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS MONITORED THE ELECTION, BUT THE COUNTRY'S AGING TELEPHONE SYSTEM AND PRIMITIVE ROADS HAVE SLOWED THE FLOW OF INFORMATION AND THE COLLECTION OF BALLOTS. INITIAL RESULTS ARE NOT EXPECTED UNTIL TUESDAY. IT WILL BE LATER BEFORE OFFICIALS OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE ISSUE THEIR REPORT ON THE FAIRNESS OF THE PROCESS. RUN-OFF ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD NEXT SUNDAY IN DISTRICTS WHERE CANDIDATES DO NOT WIN A MAJORITY OF VOTES IN THE FIRST ROUND. AT STAKE ARE 115 DIRECTLY ELECTED PARLIAMENT SEATS AND 40 SEATS THAT WILL BE DIVIDED ACCORDING TO THE PERCENTAGE OF VOTES FOR POLITICAL PARTIES. PRESIDENT BERISHA'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY, WHICH WON AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY IN 1996 ELECTIONS THAT WERE MARRED BY CHARGES OF VOTE FRAUD, FACES ITS STRONGEST CHALLENGE FROM THE SOCIALIST PARTY LED BY FATOS NANO. ALSO ON THE BALLOT IS A REFERENDUM ASKING VOTERS IF THEY WANT TO
RESTORE THE MONARCHY TO ALBANIA. (SIGNED)
[05] ALBANIA REACT (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)DATE=6/28/97TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-216419 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: AN AMERICAN ANALYST ON ALBANIAN POLITICS SAYS VOTER TURNOUT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT TO WATCH IN THE BALKAN COUNTRY'S CRUCIAL, EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS CALLED TO QUELL MONTHS OF UNREST. V-O-A'S VICTOR BEATTIE REPORTS WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY'S NICHOLAS PANO SAYS THE KEY TO ELECTORAL SUCCESS WILL BE PLEDGES MADE BY THE COUNTRY'S MAJOR PARTIES TO ABIDE BY THE RESULTS: TEXT: MR. PANO SAYS VOTER TURNOUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 70 TO 80-PERCENT WOULD BE CONSIDERED GOOD FOLLOWING WHAT HE CALLS A HIGHLY-PARTISAN CAMPAIGN BETWEEN THE MAJOR PARTIES, THE DEMOCRATS AND SOCIALISTS: ///PANO ACTUALITY///IT HAS NOT BEEN A PARTICULARLY ENLIGHTENED ELECTION CAMPAIGN ALTHOUGH BOTH PARTIES HAVE PROMISED TO WORK TO RESTORE STABILITY TO ALBANIA AND TO EMBARK ON A PROGRAM OF MARKET REFORMS AND ALSO POLITICAL REFORMS. ///END ACTUALITY///THE ANALYST SAYS BOTH PARTIES HAVE PLEDGED TO ABIDE BY THE CONCLUSIONS OF HUNDREDS OF FOREIGN OBSERVERS IN THE COUNTRY TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE BALLOT WAS FREE AND FAIR. HE CALLS THAT A KEY TEST OF THE ELECTION WHICH DECIDES THE FATE OF ALL 155 PARLIAMENTARY SEATS AND, PERHAPS, OF PRESIDENT SALI BERISHA AS WELL: ///PANO ACTUALITY///PRESIDENT BERISHA HAS INDICATED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS THAT IF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OR THE OPPOSITION WERE TO WIN A CONVINCING VICTORY HE WOULD BE INCLINED TO RELINQUISH HIS OFFICE. ///END ACTUALITY///A RUNOFF IN HOTLY-CONTESTED RACES WILL BE HELD NEXT SUNDAY.
(SIGNED)
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