Albanian opposition party vows to block parliament

Albania's main opposition party said Thursday that it would boycott parliament in its efforts to oust Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama ahead of elections in June. Lulzim Basha, leader of the centre-right Democratic Party, said it would return to parliament only to vote for a caretaker government "that would organise free and fair elections". Hundreds of protesters have occupied a tent in front of the main government offices in the capital, Tirana, since Saturday. The boycott would jeopardise the implementation of judicial overhauls that are required before Albania can begin talks later this year for joining the European Union. Rama proposed that the opposition send lawmakers only to assure the adoption of measures linked to the judicial reform, while continuing the protest. But Basha, who has accused Rama's government of deepening poverty and corruption in Albania, dismissed the proposal, telling supporters "Our demands are not negotiable." In July, the country adopted a key judicial reform sought by Brussels to fight widespread corruption and organised crime. But the nomination of members to the new legal institutions requires approval from commissions that include lawmakers on both the left and right. EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said Wednesday that he regretted the Democratic Party's boycott, saying "The political debate should not take place outside, but inside the parliament." "It is of utmost importance to maintain parliamentary continuity in a time where substantial reforms are on the agenda of the parliament," Hahn said in a statement, referring in particular to justice and electoral reform. A NATO member since 2009, Albania obtained EU candidate status in 2014.