The political leader of the Socialist Party for the Diaspora, Taulant Balla, revealed in "Ditari" by Andi Nuraj, on A2 CNN, the strategy that the majority will follow, in the event that on February 13 in Parliament, the amendments to the Electoral Code to facilitate the diaspora vote are not voted on with a qualified majority.
With the current configuration of the Assembly, the Socialist Party has 78 secure votes, along with 3 from ally Tom Doshi, and Balla admitted that as a majority they cannot meet the 84 votes needed.
He further explained where the process has stalled, focusing in particular on the fund that the government has allocated to the CEC to pay for the outbound and return postage for the ballot of an Albanian citizen living abroad.
"The first is that we have never had 84 votes. The Socialist Party has never had 84 votes. We have been the only party that has historically asked for the Diaspora vote, even in opposition and throughout all these years. The Albanian people have never given us 84 mandates to decide for ourselves and we have been forced to, which is why the Diaspora vote was delayed for so many years. We are now in the middle of the registration process. At this stage, two elements have emerged that were not raised by us, but have caught our attention and we have reflected on them as soon as the process began. The first thing that our compatriots have raised, and I join them. It is: Well, we Albanians of the Diaspora will have to pay for our vote in lek. I in the USA have to pay 45 dollars to send the ballot to Tirana by mail. And here the Prime Minister said that we are ready to give the CEC all the necessary funds to cover all the expenses on the way there that it has by law, but also on the return trip. Now we have an element that we need to change the law. Is there any opposition in the world that says we will win? Do these people say we will win. Exactly, come on, unite the vote. The second element is that the CEC rightly says that if candidates register 50 days before the elections, which means that it will take 10 days to draft and print the ballot, then there are less than 40 days left to send the ballot to Alaska and return the ballot. Then the CEC rightly says that these political parties should have their candidates ready, why not increase the deadline for candidate registration to 60 days. This does not affect the process", declared Balla in "Ditari" by Andi Nuraj, on A2 CNN.
Regarding the conditionality that the DP is making for the approval of the changes, Balla said that in the worst case, an alternative solution will be found to pay for the postage for the ballot.
"These people can come and upon request, aliens are allowed to vote. No! Because for the SP, for this majority, we have a responsibility to guarantee a regular process and high-standard elections. The bad thing is that in some way the time that the CEC has will be shortened. Another instrument will be found to pay for the postage, it must be found, because we will not burden our compatriots because we do not want the DP, and they should pay for the postage. Because it is a shame. Because they say that those from Albania should not pay for the ballot, while those from the Diaspora should pay for it. No, we will remove it," Balla said in "Ditari" by Andi Nuraj, on A2 CNN.
Balla underlined that if 84 green cards are not filled in the February 13 session, the shame will remain with the opposition, which will prove that it has never wanted the Diaspora's vote.
"It's not that the matter is without a solution, the shame will remain with those who will ultimately come out naked, meaning they never wanted it and blocked it at the last moment. That this is the last thing and then there are no more problems. My call to all my fellow MPs, left, right, center, is that here we must go beyond political orders. It is a historic moment," Balla underlined in "Ditari" by Andi Nuraj, on A2 CNN.
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