Hand: Albania needs responsible political leadership

Albania at the moment needs a responsible political leadership, he adds in an interview for the Voice of America.

Voice of AmericaMr. Hunt, Albania today finds itself in a deep political and institutional crisis. The country's two highest courts do not function, the main opposition parties are outside parliament, and the dismissal process has been launched against the president. How do you see these developments in Albania?

Robert Hunt: I think the current situation is well summed up by the head of the OSCE observation mission, Audrey Glover, at the end of the election, when it stressed that the <x0-elections were developed without much considering the interest of the” electorate. Such appreciation applies to other problems today. Political struggle between parties, or among party leaders, takes place regardless of the need for the country's progress. And all of this happens at a very critical moment, when the European Union is expected to make its decision in October to open membership negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia. This is an important step and we know that within B. E. - there are places that are not for expansion and today's situation in Albania makes it easier for these countries to say let's not open the doors. My opinion is that the Council of Europe should recommend opening negotiations. The time has come and Albania deserves it. Another equally critical moment is the fact that Albania is getting ready to head O The SBE next year. This is an important position, it's not a symbolic thing, where it simply puts the name on top of the list of 57 member states. The OSCE deals with the conflict in Ukraine, with Russian aggression, deals with conflicts throughout the region, deals with promoting democracy in countries like Russia, but also in other Central Asian countries. Reaching success in 2020 would be very difficult if the country that has headship focused on its internal differences, instead of representing Europe to offer solutions to the problems facing the region as a whole.

Voice of America: You mentioned local elections. You have observed almost all elections in Albania, since the first ones since the fall of communism. Do you think recent elections are legitimate?

Robert Hunt: To correct you for monitoring the elections, I have been monitoring those in 1991 and many more later, but not in recent years because of other responsibilities. For the June 30th elections, I would stay on the OSCE assessment. They developed. There was debate over the date and what to do because of the lack of courts and there wasn't enough time to resolve these disputes, so there was no alternative but to do them. Sad to say, whether they are legitimate or not, there were no alternative candidates in the election and therefore they are less legitimate. This will be a problem for the future.

Voice of America: Do you think these choices should be repeated at some point in the future?

Robert Hunt: This is up to Albanians to decide and hope that there will be negotiations on how it will be conducted.

Voice of America: How could the country get out of such chaos?

Robert Hunt: This requires political will and goodwill from the leaders. It's hard to say. Albania, despite problems it has had in the past, has been able to progress. And it's actually made progress over the years, though not as fast as we would like. This present is a multiple crisis, a bit inconsistent, perhaps comparable to those in the early 1990s. I hope that among the Albanian political elites there will be a will to negotiate and find solutions for disagreements.

Voice of America: The current situation is also a kind of consequence of justice reform that the United States insisted on. In this context, do you feel that the United States should be more engaged?

Robert Hunt: I don't think they have to play middleman. Albanians must leave the practice of seeking help from foreigners to mediate internal disputes. Yes, I think the United States, insisting on the reform and property of judges, which led to the failure of courts, has played a role in this regard. But I think reform and property were necessary. Meanwhile, the country needs responsible political leadership to move forward, until the creation of a reliable justice system, which would solve disputes of this nature. Meanwhile, it is up to politicians to be open to dialogue and reach a solution for the country to move forward in this critical time.

Voice of America: What is your opinion on governing Prime Minister Edi Rama. He's been in power for six years now. There are observers who say Albania has taken steps back in terms of democracy. What's your opinion?

Robert Hunt: Prime Minister Rama has been in power since 2013. The Socialists won alone in the last elections without needing a coalition. Looking at Albania, but also other countries, progress is achieved in the first two years of power. In the second term, when it comes to the sixth year, developments begin, which are problematic, so that's a trend that's noticed everywhere and I don't want to blame the prime minister alone. However, some trends of this government are disturbing. It is disturbing the initiative regarding internet media and measures that can be taken against news portals, as it may be arbitrary decisions by an administrative entity. Not only the OSCE, but many other organisations dealing with press freedom -- either within or outside Albania, or civil society -- have expressed concern for it. Also disturbing is the problem of corruption that is widespread in Albania. In my view, the country has progressed for six years. I think reform in justice can lead the country forward. Albania must be rewarded for this, but this does not make other problems invisible. But the opposition's departure from parliament, as happened in February, created a new problem, shifting attention to its move, whether it was counterproductive or not, and left the real problems to keep the government responsible for its actions behind, which is exactly the opposition mission.

Voice of America: Was the opposition's decision counterproductive?

Robert Hunt: I see this from the point of view that I work for 18 members of Congress. Generally, members of Congress here do not believe boycotting parliament is a good idea. And this is not just a temporary boycott, but a release of mandates without any means of return. So, I think it was a very counterproductive act, given the timing. This could be counterproductive to the opposition even in terms of the support it receives. I try to look for hope wherever I can, and I was encouraged by the fact that there were differences within opposition parties. Three MPs stayed in Parliament, did not abandon their mandates, and others from party lists, entered parliament and completed most of the remaining empty seats. If they remain part of either the Democratic Party or the LSI and come back, maybe they can try to reform these parties. A part of the problem with Albania, I think is the fact that there is not enough democracy within the parties. We cannot force parties to be democratic anymore. That depends on them, but it would certainly help the country in terms of responsible leadership. Some of these people, and it seems that some have already done so, have decided to start new movements themselves or new parties. I think Albania, in the long term, would certainly benefit from this. Albania's people would benefit if during elections in the future they had more options in the ballot box.

Voice of America: How do you explain the trend that has been observed in Albania over the past 30 years? A country out of dictatorship continues to lean towards strong leaders, strong personalities and not democracy within parties.

Robert Hunt: I have been following Albania for nearly 30 years and have seen its evolution during this time. Part of this problem, of course, can be cultural; a part may be related to decades of brutal rule by the communist party. But after 30 years I hesitate to say this, because I haven't lived through the communist era and I don't want to pretend I know what it was like. I can only imagine how terrible it was for people's everyday lives and how hard it is to overcome. After 30 years, however, there should have been much more reforms than what we see. I think that some of the leaders who were intellectuals and active back then did not leave and resisted internal changes. And, of course, because of the conflicts of the 1990s, everything focused on the need for stability compared with needed changes. Maybe with generation change, things will change. What I can say is that the more opening and the less decision-making from above there will benefit Albania and the Albanian people. It's something I'm going to insist on.

Voice of America: You mentioned Albania's role when it takes over the OSCE chairmanship next year. What are expected to be the challenges Albania will face.

Robert Hunt: The Helsinki Commission, where I work, is closely following the OSCE. We cooperate with the State Department and help shape American politics towards the OSCE. I can tell you that last year, when we first heard that Albania proposed to lead O The SEU in 2020, I was extremely supportive. It is a good opportunity for Albania not to be an importer of security and stability from abroad, but to contribute in fact to security throughout the OSCE region. And I think she could do that very well. She has a very professional diplomatic body, the foreign minister supporting the idea, was competent, he had many years of experience. But it was very disappointing that within a month after O The SEU agreed with the idea, there were changes in the foreign ministry. You know: There is now a question whether this experience is still there to push it before the OSCE. As mentioned earlier by Russian aggression in Ukraine but also by intervention elsewhere in Europe, the situation in the Caucasus, etc. , The OSCE needs strong leadership, and I really hope Albania will still be able to provide that leadership, but today I am a little more concerned than I was last year when the first bid was made. The next thing I would say is that the OSCE, or the Helsinki process, has been historically a fan of people's hopes, for their human rights to be respected, for democracy to advance. And, that a country leads O The SEU, he must somehow embody these Helsinki principles for democracy, human rights, and for true general security. This does not mean that any country should be like Norway, where everything always seems very peaceful and very democratic. But a country has to lean in the right direction, and there are some concerns here, for example, in dealing with investigative journalists and perhaps in the desire to fine people for what they publish online. O Office Head The SEU will have to go to countries like Moscow, either Baku or Central Asia countries, and seek greater respect for human rights, seek the release of political prisoners, free and fair elections, or democratic standards. It is difficult to do so when you do not walk in the right direction. This is one of the challenges Albania will face in 2020, unless it changes course by moving in a more positive direction.

American Helsinki Commission

The Commission for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or the American Helsinki Commission, is an independent government agency established by Congress in 1975 to observe and promote respect for the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE commitments. The commission consists of 18 American lawmakers, 9 from the House of Representatives and 9 from the Senate. Also its members are representatives of the State, Pentagon and Department of Commerce. The position of chairman and co-chairman is divided between the House of Representatives and Senate and changes every two years after elections in Congress. The Commission is assisted in his work by a team of officials. Currently, Helsinki Commission Chairman is the lawmaker of the House of Representatives, Alcee L. Hastings and co-chairman is Senator Roger F. Wuecker.