Tensions high as Albania heads into disputed local pollsAlbanian opposition supporters converged on the government headquarters last week after the ruling Socialists voted down a move by President Ilir Meta to scrap local electionsTIRANA - Albania will on Sunday hold bitterly disputed municipal polls that have snowballed into a democratic crisis, with the opposition boycotting the vote and refusing to recognise its results. After the president tried to reschedule the poll for October, Rama wrote on Twitter: "June 30 is the only election date". Voting for mayors and local councils is set to take place in 61 municipalities in the country of around 2.8 million. The political turbulence is brewing at a particularly sensitive moment for Albania as it waits for a response on its EU application. Since the fall of a communist dictatorship in 1991, Albania has struggled to nurture a healthy democracy.

Source: Bangkok Post June 30, 2019 05:03 UTC