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Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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USIA - TEXT: STATE DEPT. ON U.S. RESPONSE TO ALBANIAN ELECTIONS (96-06-07)United States Information Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>(Urges government to continue looking for irregularities) (400)Washington -- The United States has urged the Albanian government to keep looking for possible irregularities in the country's May 26 parliamentary elections. International observers reported a number of such irregularities during the vote and vote count."The Government of Albania has already stated its intention to repeat four races in which irregularities were identified by its own Central Election Commission," State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said in a June 6 statement. "We expect that the review process which we have recommended will identify further constituencies in which elections should be repeated. Further U.S. actions will depend upon the Albanian Government's response. Following is the text of Burns' statement: (Begin text)On May 28, the Department of State expressed serious concern about irregularities reported by OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), U.S. Embassy, and other observers during the vote and vote count of the May 26 parliamentary elections in Albania.On June 1, following our review of reports from international election monitoring missions and consultations at the OSCE in Vienna, the Department of State issued a statement evaluating the elections. Among other things, it noted that they were marred by numerous irregularities and represented a significant step backward from the previous parliamentary elections in 1992; that these irregularities cast a shadow on the prospects for democratic progress, which remains the cornerstone of our relationship with Albania; and that it is our firm belief that steps need to be taken to correct these flaws. The statement urged the Albanian government and all political parties to seek assistance from the international community in investigating irregularities and identifying districts in which elections should be repeated. It urged the government to consider carefully the recommendations of observer delegations to improve the electoral process to ensure that the irregularities which occurred in this election do not recur. The U.S. government is working closely with other OSCE members to ensure that the Government of Albania acts on these recommendations. The Government of Albania has already stated its intention to repeat four races in which irregularities were identified by its own Central Election Commission. We expect that the review process which we have recommended will identify further constituencies in which elections should be repeated. Further U.S. actions will depend upon the Albanian Government's response. (End text)From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.govUnited States Information Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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