Our Man in Tirana

If President Moisiu's public address yesterday expressed the ideal, the recently released report from the OSCE on the forthcoming local elections named the reality. The 2005 Parliamentary elections in Albania confirmed a consistent trend towards improvement in the conduct of elections and the electoral framework, and Albania witnessed a peaceful and orderly handover of power in September 2005 between the Socialist Party (SP) and the Democratic Party (DP). Yet, the political dialogue between the ruling coalition and the opposition has since been strained by an increasingly polarised atmosphere, lack of trust, and displays of acrimony between the respective political party leadership. This situation has impacted upon electoral reform efforts, and indeed preparations for the upcoming local elections. While there was apparent agreement among political forces to implement recommendations following the publication of the OSCE/ODIHR Final Report on the 2005 parliamentary elections, su...

Today is Albania's National Day, known here as Flag Day. Congratulations and greetings to Albanian readers everywhere. Congratulations also from the Philippines , Jordan , Azerbaijan and New Zealand . Jeff, a missionary in Kosovo, discusses the Albanian national flag , especially as it related to Kosovo. President Moisiu gave a public address at Vlora. This is part of what he said: I have said and I am repeating it again: there are many political parties, but Albania is only one. All the citizens, regardless of the political convictions and pertinences, when found in front of Albania and its interest are Albanians and must be like one and united. The ninety-four years of the Albanian state make up a path which has been open by cutting through numerous hardships. We have gone through happy and bitter days, although today we have all the reasons to feel proud with the Rule of Law and democracy which regardless of the shortcomings are being strengthened and consolidated day by da...

Yesterday's Boston Globe ran an article on the US Peace Corps featuring Ray Grzybowski who is based in Berat.

Like all growing cities Tirana is expanding upwards. For the most part, the new buildings are unimaginative boxes of steel, glass and concrete. Even those attempts at breaking away from the predictable have only resulted in buildings that are either ugly - the Twin Towers - or really ugly - the Sheraton. Only the recently opened European Trade Center represents an improvement. Over the months I have watched as another new building has gradually taken shape in the city. On one level it is yet another utilitarian office block, with the usual look - slabs of glass and concrete - and from a distance it is entirely unremarkable. Up close, though, it is much more striking. The architects have achieved this effect by adding wings or fins - I'm not sure what to call them - in different colours around the outside of the building. The closer you get, and the more you have to look up, the more striking the effect becomes. It's a nice idea, and it's good to see more imaginative develop...

Having visited one of the major hospitals in Tirana a little while ago I was interested in this report from the World Bank that was published earlier this year. The report paints a grim picture of the state of Albania's health care sector and outlines the kind of reforms needed to raise it to an acceptable level.

So it seems that there might at last be a date for Albania's municipal elections. Under the constitution, elections are supposed to take place from 30 to 60 days after the end of the existing mandate. This means that elections should be held between 20 December and 20 January. Unfortunately, though perhaps unsurprisingly, the government and opposition have been unable to agree on a date. The Socialist opposition has been pushing for a date in the spring, claiming that bad weather in January might disrupt turn out in rural or mountainous areas of the country. This is true, but they can hardly blame the government for the weather. In the absence of agreement, the President has stepped in and is proposing two possible dates in January - 14th and 21st. The Socialists have indicated that they will drop their objections and accept the President's decision - though it is hard to see what choice they have. As well as seats in Albania's municipalities, the position of Mayor of Tira...

I don't have any opinions about anything today, so here is a nice picture of Bella enjoying the sunshine.