Multifaceted political struggle in Tirana
Politics Wednesday, March 30th, 2005Tirana, March 30 (AENews) – Today Albania is only three months away from general elections which will refresh our unicameral parliament with 140 seats.
In these elections the right wing opposition will fight to win against the left wing which has been in power now for eight years. Both parties are expected to close their pre-election preparations soon. The Democratic Party (DP) signed last week a EUR500,000 contract with the American lobbying company Barbour Griffith & Rogers, to help organize their electoral campaign. This US Company is especially well known for its collaboration with the U.S. Republican Party during the Bush-Kerry elections as well as for electoral campaigns organized in Serbia and Montenegro.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the current government has made a preliminary deal with the lobbying company MC Kinsey, to help improve Albania’s image. The Socialist Party (SP) in power has opened a tender for a contract with marketing and lobbying companies. Participating in the tender is a company which helped with the Labour Party of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Meanwhile, the exchange of favors in lower levels has started. The Socialist Party has already committed a considerable number of important public administration directors and a number of businessmen as candidates. Meanwhile the opposition has presented some well know economists whom were instrumental during the founding of this party in 1991 but had left it in the summer of 1993.
It looks like these are going to be some of the most multifaceted elections ever organized in Albania. In this game there are two small groupings, the Socialist Movement for Integration, led by ex-Prime Minister Ilir Meta and the Movement for National Development, a coalition of unsatisfied right wing politicians informally led by the pretender to the king’s throne for Albania Leka Zog.
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