Albanians voted and the winner is … the EU

TIRANA — Brussels might want to take a break from Brexit talks this week to welcome Albania’s overwhelming endorsement of the reforms that will propel the country toward EU membership.

Ballot counting is still underway, but preliminary results indicate that Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Socialist Party are set to secure a majority of up to 73 seats in the 140-member house, taking just under half of the votes counted so far. The second most popular party, Lulzim Basha’s Democrats, looks set to garner 29 percent of the vote counted. Both are staunchly in favor of joining the EU. A third party, the Socialist Movement for Integration, looks set to take 14 percent of the vote.

Given that more than 95 percent of Albanians agree that EU integration is very important for the country, it’s no surprise that both major party platforms include accommodating the bloc’s key membership demands. Brussels should take comfort from the fact that nearly four out of five voters backed the two parties. Only the low turnout — 45 percent of registered voters on a hot day at the end of Ramadan — marred the event.

My fellow Albanians have long had a tormented relationship with elections. Since the collapse of Communism in 1991 elections have been viewed as a solution to political crisis, but have all too often become crises themselves, plagued by boycotts, obstruction, squabbling and endless negotiations.

Albania has handed the wheel to Rama but his drive will not be an easy one.

Sunday’s vote marked a significant departure from that.

Rama and Basha fought a strangely subdued campaign, having already agreed that the next government would have to prioritize the reforms needed to move forward with membership. A political agreement between the two parties on May 18 brought to an end an acrimonious three months of opposition parliamentary boycotts and may have ushered in a new era of political maturity.

The deal included a series of confidence building measures, a postponement of the election date and the appointment of technocrats in key ministerial positions that would have an impact on the election process.

Parliament voted in vetting commissions to oversee justice reform, a key EU membership condition, and passed amendments to several laws that aim to safeguard free and fair elections. Most importantly, the agreement foresees constitutional and electoral reform in the new legislature, as well as thorough overhauls of Albania’s public procurement system and the way that public expenditures are audited.

My organization supports the judicial reforms needed to enter the EU because they are hugely important to daily life in Albania. Independent judges should afford the disabled the opportunity to challenge government discrimination or offer Roma families fair hearings against eviction from their homes. They will also be key to ensuring that the top officials responsible for the deadly 2008 explosion at an ammunition depot in the village of Gerdec do not go unpunished.

Monday’s results suggest that the Socialists will now have a mandate to push through the required measures for Albania to join the EU. The new government will be able to ditch old coalition partners and steer the country alone. How Rama treats his political rivals over the next couple of months will also define his legacy. Driving through an effective justice reform and transforming public administration into an agile and responsive civil service will require continued consensus if he is to sell the results to the Albanian people.

No matter how long it takes, or who is ultimately in control — all roads lead to Brussels.

Albania should now accelerate its efforts toward EU accession. As the last ballots are counted, it is now time for civil society organizations like my own to step in to ensure politicians enact real changes that make a meaningful improvement on the lives of Albanian citizens. Consensus must not lead to complacency. The new government must do all it can to root out corruption and ensure the reforms’ success. There are many obstacles that still need to be overcome: a shadow economy linked to the drugs trade, lack of transparency and persistent allegations of corruption.

Tomorrow, we’ll return to the rough and tumble of Albanian politics. The new government’s negotiation of the path to reform will be crucial. Albania has handed the wheel to Rama but his drive will not be an easy one. One thing, however, is clear. No matter how long it takes, or who is ultimately in control — all roads lead to Brussels.

Andi Dobrushi is executive director of the Open Society Foundation Albania.