Albania opposition parties threaten to boycott June election

TIRANA, Albania – Albania’s opposition parties have threatened to boycott a June parliamentary election unless the current coalition government agrees to create a caretaker cabinet to run the country until then.

The opposition political parties said in a statement Friday that they would not register with the Central Election Commission without “achieving a political agreement that would secure free and fair elections.”

Members of the main opposition Democratic Party have blocked the main boulevard in the capital, Tirana, for three weeks, saying they don’t trust the left-wing government to hold the election in a fair manner.

The opposition also is boycotting parliament, thereby preventing the start of judicial reforms that would allow Albania to launch membership talks with the European Union.