Albanian stalemate can hit EU ambitions: official

(TIRANA) - Albania must resolve a political impasse on a contested parliamentary election as it could torpedo its aim of joining the European Union, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said Friday.

"If the current political stalemate were to persist, it could well prevent Albania from reaching the political standards expected from a country that has applied for EU membership," Fuele said after talks with Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

Albania's ruling and opposition parties have been locked in a dispute over legislative elections held last June, won by Berisha's Democrats.

On Thursday, the parliament began a lengthy debate over opposition Socialists' requests for a vote recount, a move so far rejected by the Democrats.

The Socialists, who have 65 of 140 seats, returned to parliament in late February after a seven-month long boycott which blocked the implementation of many much-needed reforms.

But they have vowed to stage fresh protests if their demands were not met.

"Parliament is a place for dialogue and for the resolution of differences, boycotts have no place in democratic politics," Fuele said during his brief visit to Tirana.

After decades of international isolation during communist rule, Albania has set its goal to join the European Union and submitted its candidacy last April.

"In the interest of their country and its EU integration perspective, Albania's political leaders now need to address this challenge constructively," Fuele said.