| Albanian lawmakers fail to elect new president |
| 11 July 2007 | 10:48
| Source:
AP |
TIRANA --
Albanian lawmakers failed to elect a new president in a second round of voting following an opposition boycott.
Bamir Topi, deputy leader of the governing Democratic Party-led coalition of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, won 74 votes, one less than Sunday's first vote and short of the 84 necessary to secure the post.
The Democrats have 80 seats in the 140-seat parliament, too few to overcome an opposition boycott.
The other candidate, former Prime Minister and opposition Socialist Party leader Fatos Nano, who is supported only by a small part of the opposition grouping that was also not present in the voting, won just five votes, two more than Sunday.
The Socialist Party-led coalition, now run by Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, boycotted the vote in protest after Berisha refused to vote for a military official proposed by the opposition when the official did not agree on some constitutional amendments Berisha had demanded.
The Socialists have demanded to be allowed to present their own choice for the post, arguing that when it was in government in 2002, it allowed the Democrats then in opposition to present existing President Alfred Moisiu as a consensus candidate.
After failure of last week's talks, they have insisted they are getting ready to implement snap general elections.
If the parliament fails to elect a president in five rounds, it is dissolved and the country goes to early general elections within 60 days, according to the constitution.
Parliament may hold three further votes before July 24, when Moisiu's term expires.
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