Albanien vor und nach den Parlamentswahlen 2013 - Demokratischer Reifetest bestanden?
Albania before and after the Parliamentary Elections 2013 - Democratic Test of Maturity Passed?

Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses Albania’s progress towards a stable and vibrant democracy against the background of the recent elections on 23 June 2013, both on their eve and in their wake. The landslide victory of the Socialist Party (SP) lead coalition of Edi Rama over the Democratic Party (DP) lead coalition of incumbent Prime Minister Sali Berisha was generally perceived as good news. The authors are taking a closer look on issues that can help turning the anticipated positive changes into reality; they also pay attention to developments in Albania today that might keep the further progress of the country hostage of the past. Citizens are more and more changing into citoyens and civil society in Albania is getting stronger and more self-confident whereas the dialogue and consensus willingness of the Albanian politicians remain still limited. In this context, the paper is arguing that granting Albania the EU candidate status and hopefully starting EU accession negotiations as soon as possible are the appropriate ways to use citizens’ and civil society’s energy for the sake of a democracy meeting European standards and values in the future.

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