Albania President to Launch Crisis Talks

Albania's President Bamir Topi welcomed on Thursday statements from the majority and opposition leaders that they are open to dialogue, with the president as a mediator, in order to solve the country's ongoing political crisis.

“Following the recent political developments in the country, the president welcomes the will and readiness for dialogue expressed by Prime Minister Sali Berisha and opposition leader Edi Rama,” Topi's office said in a statement.

“In this new political context the president will initiate contacts with the prime minister and the opposition leader, in concurrence with the international community, to determine the framework of the talks at the mediation table,” the statement added.

Following a diplomatic effort from US and EU ambassadors in Tirana on Wednesday, both Berisha and Rama accepted the recommendation of the Council of Europe to hold talks under the mediation of the president of the republic. The efforts aim to solve the political stalemate that has gripped the country since the end of the June parliamentary elections.

Led by Rama, the Socialist opposition has boycotted parliament since the new session began in September, claiming that the government’s alleged fraud was to blame for their electoral loss.

The Socialists have conditioned their return to parliament on a recount of the electoral ballots in two districts.

Although declaring his openness to a parliamentary investigation of the election, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha has stubbornly rejected the possibility of a recount. He argues that the opposition has exhausted all legal options and that he cannot override the judicial process.

The boycott has poisoned the political climate in the country and brought to a halt the functioning of the assembly, which requires more than a simple majority to pass EU accession related reforms.