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Albania opposition ends boycott of parliament

05 September 2011 21:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Albania’s main opposition party decided on Monday to come in from the political cold by announcing it is ending its months-long boycott of the parliament,APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Edi Rama, leader of the Socialist Party, told the party’s lawmakers that to end the boycott is to unblock the way for the tiny western Balkan country to join the European Union (EU).

"The socialist opposition will be present in the Albanian parliament to take up its national responsibilities with regards to Albania’s integration into the European Union," Rama said.

Albanian laws stipulate that approval of some regulations need a three fifths majority in the 140-seat parliament. Rama’s party controls 65 seats in the parliament.

The opposition has boycotted the country’s parliament on and off since 2009, when the country held its last general election. The opposition accused the Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Sali Berisha of fraud and manipulation in the elections.

The government denied the allegations and refused to meet the opposition’s demands of partial recounting of the ballots. The opposition hasn’t recognized the result ever since.

Albania applied for the EU candidate status in 2009, and the European Commission is due to give its assessment on its bid next month.