Albanians abroad will vote for the first time in parliamentary elections set for May
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Albanians abroad will vote for the first time in parliamentary elections set for May

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s president on Thursday set May 11 as the date for the country’s next parliamentary election, and Albanians living in other countries will for the first time be able to cast ballots from overseas. Albania’s number of potential voters is 3.6 million even though the small Balkan country’s current population is no more than 2.4 million. Albania’s ever-squabbling politics have been marked by continuous protests by the opposition accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists of corruption, manipulating earlier elections and usurping the powers of the judiciary. The United States and the European Union have urged the opposition to resume a dialogue with the government, saying that violence won’t help the country integrate into the 27-nation EU bloc.

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History of this topic

Albanian opposition supporters block the capital’s streets in an anti-government rally
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Albanian opposition supporters block the capital’s streets in an anti-government rally

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albanian opposition lawmakers and their supporters blocked the capital’s main streets for hours Tuesday accusing the government of corruption and demanding it be replaced by a technocratic caretaker Cabinet until 2025 parliamentary elections. Hundreds of activists blocked traffic at Tirana’s main intersections accusing the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption, manipulating earlier elections and …

Italy Rejects Albanian Migrant Deal, Stalling Asylum-Seeker Exodus
2 months ago

Italy Rejects Albanian Migrant Deal, Stalling Asylum-Seeker Exodus

China Daily  

Italy's government has made a fresh legislative effort to get its migration pact with Albania into operation after a court ruling scuppered the move. The agreement, which would have seen Italian-built and funded detention camps put up in Albania, where asylum-seekers would be sent while their applications were processed, was scrapped by a court in Rome due to concerns about …

Italy hopes to save Albania migrant plan
2 months ago

Italy hopes to save Albania migrant plan

China Daily  

By JULIAN SHEA in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2024-10-23 09:26 People on a fishing boat move past an Italian coast guard vessel that arrived to transfer migrants, who were intercepted at sea and later detained at a reception facility in Albania, before being returned to Italy after a court in Rome overturned their detention orders, in Shengjin, …

Albania will intake Italy’s asylum seekers, as a gesture of gratitude, but not other EU countries, PM says
2 months, 1 week ago

Albania will intake Italy’s asylum seekers, as a gesture of gratitude, but not other EU countries, PM says

LA Times  

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama attends a news conference following the second intergovernmental EU-Albania conference in Luxembourg on Tuesday. Albania’s prime minister on Tuesday said his government had turned down many requests from other European Union countries to take in thousands of asylum seekers but made an exception for Italy. An Italian navy ship was expected to dock at the …

Albania’s governing Socialist Party wins mayoral poll in a town with ethnic Greek minority
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Albania’s governing Socialist Party wins mayoral poll in a town with ethnic Greek minority

Associated Press  

QEPARO, Albania — Preliminary results Monday showed Albania’s governing Socialist Party candidate Vangjel Tavo won the mayoral election in the southwestern town of Himara after the previous mayor was removed in a case that has sparked tensions with Greece. Results at the Central Election Commission showed Tavo won 58.62% of Sunday’s votes, while 41.38% went to Petraq Gjikuria from the …

Albanians vote for new mayor of ethnic Greek town in a case that has sparked tensions with Athens
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Albanians vote for new mayor of ethnic Greek town in a case that has sparked tensions with Athens

Associated Press  

QEPARO, Albania — Albanians in the southwestern town of Himara voted for a new mayor Sunday after their previous choice, a member of the country’s ethnic Greek minority, was stripped of his title, convicted and imprisoned on vote-buying charges. After the voting ended at 1700 GMT on Sunday, the preliminary turnout tally showed that 37.61% — or more than 3% …

Ethnic Greek politician returns to prison in Albania after attending European Parliament opening
5 months ago

Ethnic Greek politician returns to prison in Albania after attending European Parliament opening

The Independent  

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Albanian authorities grant leave to jailed ethnic Greek ex-mayor for European Parliament opening
5 months, 1 week ago

Albanian authorities grant leave to jailed ethnic Greek ex-mayor for European Parliament opening

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s prison department Sunday granted a five-day leave to an ethnic Greek minority former mayor to attend the opening session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg. Albania, a former communist country and a current NATO member, has a historically tense relationship with Greece, largely over issues of Greek minority rights and the sizable Albanian community in …

Albania’s supreme court leaves ethnic Greek ex-mayor in prison
5 months, 1 week ago

Albania’s supreme court leaves ethnic Greek ex-mayor in prison

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s Supreme Court on Friday upheld a verdict of the lower courts keeping a former elected mayor from the country’s Greek minority in prison after he was convicted of buying votes. A Supreme Court statement said that it upheld the verdicts of the court of first instance and the court of appeal which had sentenced Freddie Beleris, …

Albanian authorities strip ethnic Greek mayor of his post for alleged vote buying
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Albanian authorities strip ethnic Greek mayor of his post for alleged vote buying

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albanian election authorities on Friday stripped an ethnic Greek minority mayor of his post after he was imprisoned on charges of vote-buying in municipal elections last year. In response to Friday’s decision, the Greek foreign ministry issued a statement saying Beleris’ case “raises several questions concerning fundamental principles of the rule of law” in Albania. Beleris belongs …

UK’s Cameron praises progress in joint effort with Albania to stop illegal migration
7 months ago

UK’s Cameron praises progress in joint effort with Albania to stop illegal migration

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — British Foreign Secretary David Cameron hailed progress in a U.K.-Albania joint effort to cut illegal migration, saying small boat arrivals from Albania to the U.K. fell by over 90% in 2023 as the two countries fought people smuggling gangs, according to a Foreign Office statement. The statement said “the partnership between the U.K. and Albania stands out …

Kosovo prime minister deplores new condition ahead of Council of Europe’s membership vote next week
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo prime minister deplores new condition ahead of Council of Europe’s membership vote next week

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Kosovo’s prime minister Wednesday deplored the fact that some Western powers reportedly have set another condition ahead of Kosovo’s joining the Council of Europe. Kosovo media reported that France and Germany want Kosovo to take a significant step toward establishing an association of its Serb-majority municipalities in the north to unblock a vote of full membership a …

Kosovo OKs referendums in 4 Serb-majority municipalities on whether to oust ethnic Albanian mayors
9 months, 1 week ago

Kosovo OKs referendums in 4 Serb-majority municipalities on whether to oust ethnic Albanian mayors

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s Central Electoral Commission on Saturday approved referendums in four Serb-majority municipalities to be held on April 21 on whether to oust their ethnic Albanian mayors whose election last year raised tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. The commission also confirmed a petition held in January in which about one-fourth of around 45,000 eligible voters in four municipalities …

Albanian Parliament approves controversial deal to hold migrants for Italy
10 months ago

Albanian Parliament approves controversial deal to hold migrants for Italy

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s Parliament voted Thursday to approve a deal for the country to hold thousands of asylum seekers for Italy, despite protests from opposition lawmakers and human rights groups. The agreement, signed in November between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, is part of Meloni’s efforts to share the burden of addressing migration with …

Albania’s opposition speaks up at the Constitutional Court against ratifying migrant deal with Italy
1 year ago

Albania’s opposition speaks up at the Constitutional Court against ratifying migrant deal with Italy

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — The opposition in Albania on Wednesday spoke up at the Constitutional Court against the ratification of a contentious deal the government has signed with Italy to jointly process some asylum applications of migrants arriving in Italy by sea. Last month, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni announced a five-year deal in which Albania …

Albania proposes a draft law on a contentious deal with Italy to jointly process asylum applications
1 year, 1 month ago

Albania proposes a draft law on a contentious deal with Italy to jointly process asylum applications

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — The Albanian government on Wednesday put forth a draft law on a contentious deal with Italy to jointly process some asylum applications of migrants arriving in Italy by sea. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni earlier this month announced a five-year deal in which Albania agreed to temporarily shelter up to 36,000 migrants …

Albania’s opposition tries to disrupt a parliament session in protest against ruling Socialists
1 year, 1 month ago

Albania’s opposition tries to disrupt a parliament session in protest against ruling Socialists

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albanian opposition lawmakers on Thursday caused commotion in Parliament, trying to disrupt a session in protest against what they say is increasingly authoritarian rule by the governing Socialists. Sali Berisha, leader of one group in the heavily divided center-right Democratic Party, described the melee in parliament as a “temporary strike” and said the Democrats would continue with …

Albanian leader makes conciliatory comments after not being invited by Greece to regional meeting
1 year, 4 months ago

Albanian leader makes conciliatory comments after not being invited by Greece to regional meeting

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Albania’s …

Tirana protests UK official’s ‘verbal lynching’ of Albanians
1 year, 11 months ago

Tirana protests UK official’s ‘verbal lynching’ of Albanians

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania on Monday handed a verbal note to the British ambassador to Tirana to protest what it called a “verbal lynching” by a U.K. official in comments about Albanian immigrants in the country. The paper expressed “concern on the last statement of the Minister of State for Immigration Robert Jenrick with discriminatory language about Albanians.” Over the …

Host Albania has high hopes for EU-Western Balkans summit
2 years ago

Host Albania has high hopes for EU-Western Balkans summit

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Albania's prime minister said Monday that a European Union summit in …

Photos: Anti-government protests grip Albania
2 years, 1 month ago

Photos: Anti-government protests grip Albania

Al Jazeera  

Opposition protesters in Albania scuffled with police on Saturday, November 12 in front of the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama in the capital Tirana, where tens of thousands had gathered to protest against corruption and rising poverty. After demonstrating peacefully for around three hours, protesters broke through the police cordon around the government building and threw red and black …

EU starts membership talks with Albania, North Macedonia
2 years, 5 months ago

EU starts membership talks with Albania, North Macedonia

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — The European Union started membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia on Tuesday, a long-delayed step in the Balkan nations’ paths toward EU membership that gained momentum amid the war in Ukraine. The result of your hard work,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Rama and Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski of North Macedonia,. It was only …

Albania Parliament Fails to Elect a President in Third Round of Voting
2 years, 6 months ago

Albania Parliament Fails to Elect a President in Third Round of Voting

News 18  

The Albanian Parliament on Monday failed to elect a new president after no candidates were nominated for a third round of voting. The governing left-wing Socialist Party and the opposition failed to reach a compromise on a candidate to replace President Ilir Meta, and no independent candidate was nominated. Though no votes were actually cast in the first three rounds …

Albanian parliament fails to elect a president in 1st vote
2 years, 7 months ago

Albanian parliament fails to elect a president in 1st vote

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — The Albanian Parliament on Monday failed to elect the country’s next president after no candidates were nominated for the first round of voting. The parliament may hold five rounds to elect the president. In the first three rounds, the winner must secure at least three-fifths of the vote, or 84 lawmakers, which the ruling Socialists do not …

Euro 2020: N Macedonia wants Austria's Arnautović punished for outburst
3 years, 6 months ago

Euro 2020: N Macedonia wants Austria's Arnautović punished for outburst

The Hindu  

The North Macedonian football federation has submitted a request to UEFA asking for Austria striker Marko Arnautović to be punished for a nationalist outburst after he scored a goal at the European Championship. “We will always stand up and defend the interests and dignity of the Macedonian national team wherever they play.” Arnautović scored the final goal in Austria’s 3-1 …

Albania’s president harshly attacks PM ahead of Sunday polls
3 years, 8 months ago

Albania’s president harshly attacks PM ahead of Sunday polls

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s president waded deep into the country’s parliamentary election campaign Wednesday, accusing the left-wing government of running a “kleptocratic regime” and bungling its pandemic response. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ilir Meta also said he would step down if Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists — who are leading the main opposition conservatives in opinion polls …

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