Updated on
Summary
Tens of thousands of Albanian opposition Socialist Party supporters launched their latest protest to demand the government either recount the vote in a controversial June 28 election or hold another. Socialist Party leader Edi Rama accused Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party of rigging the parliamentary elections to steal Albania's wealth. The Socialists lost to Berisha in the tightest race since Albania abandoned communism, but have not accepted the result and refuse to enter parliament unless a number of ballot boxes, ruled irregular by election authorities, are opened. They say the votes inside would give them victory overall. Berisha's Democrats have just 70 seats in the 140-seat parliament, and the Socialists 66. The Democrats rule with support from the four Socialist Integration Movement seats. Holding banners saying I want to see my vote and Where is my vote?, supporters of the Socialists, their allies and two center-right parties marched down Tirana's main boulevard to gather in front of Berisha's offices. The Socialists pitched tents in the street and handed out coffee and tea to hundreds of supporters determined to spend the night near Berisha's office. The protest is planned to continue over the weekend. Now more than ever we want to prove that the freedom of the vote and the right to count it honestly cannot be bought, sold or negotiated, Rama told the cheering crowd.
