United states and President Trump into conflict we meet with newsmakers and the stories that matter is iraq. I answer me ok im willing to be loud and here in the stream today will albania abandon democracy elections are sad for this weekend but an escalating political crisis could rally the vote as a waste tweet us or leave comments and i live you tube chat and you might be this free. Growing Political Tension in albania is putting the countrys local elections in jeopardy and sparking violent demonstrations across his bubbled over in february when the Opposition Democratic Party withdrew from Parliament Since then opposition supporters have been protesting across a media demonstrators are accusing Prime Minister eddie rama of corruption and tomorrow that he steps down a move that would trigger new National Elections the countrys president has called off the june the 30th elections but the Prime Minister vals that they will go on as well joining us to discuss all of this interim a. Little polly shes a member of the socialist party and minister of state for parliamentary relations but hes chairman of the youth form of the Democratic Party of albania and also we have been since released hes an independent journalist whos been covering up any and politics for several media organizations including out his ears welcome good to have you here gentlemen hopefully well have at least on the funny just a moment but vincent i am just going to start back in the 2017 and elections for albania i mean 2019 opposition parties oh really matt what happened in the last 2 years that they were mad inbetween. So basically in 2007 there were general elections in the media the government says they won the elections fair and square and they want to majority on one party won the majority and they say that and they actually were satisfied by the International Community on the list size if the opposition will say that there were there are some allegations of vote buying of influencing the elections and im sure billions can say miller about that and explain more about that and yet their opposition is basically saying that the government cheated elections ok but if you have questions dont trying to decide these what free and Fair Elections back in 2017 so why 2 years later you sang dont know taking part in the local elections which coming up in saudi. Its not that we are not were not taking part in that we decided to years after we had denounced all the regularities of the election process in 2017 in the general elections that were managed by this government in 2000 and in and also all of the major scandal was is that in back in 2016 actually and this is also the main focus on the german newspaper build if you will see in the wire tapes that have been out in the last 2 weeks showing that. A clear scheme of vote by including the Prime Minister including the minister of energy the head of the National Security commission the head of the Lower Commission in parliament m. P. s and high ranking officials were involved in this clear scheme of the buying in this region up in the north of albany out of a deep breath and we had denounced this scandal in 2016 and these are facts these are not the accusations by the opposition we have denounced this issue and these facts in 2016 and Nothing Happened from the Prosecutors Office and then we came to 290 day protests that we held in 2017 and we decided to have an agreement with the socialist party and with the socialist Prime Minister indira. For the sake of the country and for the sake of the european integration of the country to hold elections in 2017 with the with the main. Press from us to not part of the elections from from from the government and will not by any votes what happened is that it always see always see all deer in 2017 stated by a poll that was financed by the office of the e. U. Delegation albania the least 20 percent of the boulders in obinna had sold their vote meaning that 20 percent of the men dates in the parliament that came out from the elections of 2017 straight were also. And were book so. This is a government many important things and what you just said so i want to break it down just a little bit 1st firstly you mentioned build and that is the german publication german newspaper so take a look at my screen here this is balkan insight who the latest news on this is the albanian Prime Minister is vowing to sue over leaked tapes that he calls a blackmailing this is in reference to the german journalist who claims or released a report that were intercepted conversations alleging corruption now the Prime Minister. Is saying that that is blackmail hes pushing back against that so we got a video comment from someone who explains why this led to what were seeing today this is evie and hes a member of the General Council your party the Democratic Party heres what he told the stream german media built published where. Local election 2016 and the general elections in 2017 were manipulated by the organized. But you may view it can be only one solution to the crisis theres a mission will be in order to create space for free and Fair Elections with the hands of criminals. The opposition requests the implementation of those decree for as long as there is no Constitutional Court to prove the opposite its amazing. So if you say youre joining us on the phone ill direct this video comment to you theres a clear to man there they want the Prime Minister to step down what do you make of what he says. Hi i can hear you now perfect tie so. Thats ok were happy that you can knowing that he was going on that were happy here to join us i played a video comment from a member of the Democratic Party hes the general counsel and he says he and the party want the Prime Minister to step down what do you make of that call. It has been the general cold the opas ition that has relinquished their mandate and organized protests and are now boy call ting local elections we consider these obviously absolutely unacceptable and on june 30th with having elections we are not alone in this. Partners and. The political situation in albania including the u. S. State department and then. The reports that the report and. Commission have stated. Its an illegitimate argument in the government and there should be no violence as well as they should be. Boycotting parliament or be closing off elections that is absolute. Fact again. This current albanian government seems to be quite scandal. Any scandals that you actually say that with us we are responsible. Well lets speak about the 2017 elections i heard at home and there even if you know the boy says no to reaching the. Various i hear you. I heard a comment about 2017 your actions say that. If you you know dear old to do ration and they report the 2017 elections had the. Best elections in albania has organized in 2017 the opposition again went on. The. Way that they were not going to partake in elections the Prime Minister and the majority had made an agreement with mr bash other leader of the opposition the 6 implored the ministries including the ministry of interior the ministry of Health Ministry of education the minister of justice. As well as the head of the century Election Committee as well as the majority that was done in good faith. They may fashion and excuse me for excuse me for interrupting you because i want to this is an International Audience trying to understand some basics about politics all the any scandals any corruption allegations that you call investigate things yes we are responsible were looking into this i dont want to simplify it so yes or no but just help us understand this in a simple way. Im sorry i didnt hear your question yes so i am asking you very straightforwardly are there any scandals any corruption of the opposition is accusing you of the ruling party yes actually we are investigating if were looking into that so you know cleaning theres nothing to be looked into. If i understood your question correctly let me thank you guys that what you are calling scandals or corruption allegations not being. Charged by the prosecutor lead to attacks and vicious political retore all right. I understand that were going to move on a little bit just just so we can hear where the ruling partys position is on these accusations from the opposition. So we have a series of tweets and ill share just one of them said this is from your nida who says the albanian president s decision to call off the local elections is extreme but the Prime Ministers determination to go ahead with them which would mean that the albanian electorate could effectively vote for one party only and that would be the socialist party is even more extreme so it seems like people are having to choose between 2 extreme options based on your need as point of view vincent help us 6 understand what the actual electorate wants what do you albanian people where they fall find themselves between these 2 poles. I think is a very partisan issue thats all right and i think its a very partisan issue because i think the socialist Party Members think these elections must happen i think the democratic if you ask the democrats you will saying that that action will have the election dont need to happen but i think its very important to listen to the International Community the International Community asset. That that action needs to need to go forward without any violence so i think that that is the these are the people we need to listen to the independent voice that is judging about what should happen next in albania theres 11 actually 111 big problem i have with the. Opposition in this discussion is that they have a better Prime Minister several times to do a dictator in venezuela. To be that iran actually a sec or to them the maduro. Of all dana but on the other side you see the parliament of venezuela still active theyre still in parliament theyre still using their democratic tools and theyre still doing whatever they can do they have and are using them for the good for the people so i understand the opposition has have several issues with the with the Prime Minister am with so many cabinet but saying i dont understand this that they took this radical step to leave parliament and actually dont take part in elections that are managed to explain that go ahead we are we are part of the parliament where at least 20 percent of the mandates were bought there are the minister for state Affairs Mission the Prosecutors Office we all know when will they know that since 2000 and. 16 december 2017 there is a political prosecutor in the binya the sleep over hundreds of files there are these 2 famous files and will be now 3039. 00 dated 2017. Was published by voice of america in january of this year before we relinquished arm and its fundamentally mandates that clearly shoals of the capture from the crime and from the gangs of the state and of the party of dogs are they just as i dont think id important maintenance a part of an organization as you saw a family show for why dont you still take part in the process and that the people if they are with you who vote for eugene the 3rd we were we were in a listen what happened this government has been in power since 2013 for the 1st time after 2013 after the socialists gain power you know being in politics people and politicians started to talk about the need of the decriminalization of politics this was early quest and the west from the opposition from the d. P. To cut the ties of the organized crime with politics because the actual Prime Minister brought into Parliament People that had a very black criminal record so you just let out on their sole painters now is the opposition fairfax yet that night i hear how they do not have time and a whole industry of albanian politics we are now not 5 years ago i just wanted to get 2000 crux of the matter is that you are more in the way because finish that sentence or for the 1st time people are going to be part of the voting process in democracy voting process is also in north korea where the government runs against himself itself in the dinner we have to held the free and Fair Elections where people can vote on alternative and people and politicians do not buy balls and how can we open the e. U. Negotiation talks and how can we pretend that we are living in in a democracy where voice of america where there are these thought famous piles that are well known internationally now that effect improve the lot of the strong ties of the criminal gangs with the vote buying process and with the capture of ministers ample if i hear is better i neither let me just bring out not accusations this is our Prime Minister of. Albania aljazeera sat down with him earlier this month to discuss our brainiest political crisis this is why he blames the countrys opposition of football and is part of that for the toyman or term of is actually happening in albania right now having this we are not in this electoral process. Alone because we have. Excluded the opposition. We have this letter possible because the opposition has self excluded. So please use loot so based on its own strategy they have walked out of power they have burnt the mandates theyve taken the molotov they have transformed themselves in the yellow vests. And the very engaged in the creation of the image of an image of a brain that is not not the result of people operates but is the result of a set up i can see that to shock at least to the Prime Minister of the need i want to take part any shot twice at least twice as many then he also mentioned molotov cocktails being thrown. Increasingly violence by elements of the protests and so it begs the question who is out there on the streets and what are they calling for so we got this week from alice taylor she is a journalist a pretty stern alicias i live in toronto out people are calling for Electoral Reform prosecutions over Government Election rigging free and Fair Elections and into collusion between government and criminal gangs less corruption better Media Freedom the list goes on and on so we actually heard from a resident. This is the real shes a student who was out there in the streets among the protesters just this past week and heres what she told the stream about why she went out there. Dont think of rails this is the actual phrase i could use to describe the situation here it is called a political crisis but i think that these is a democracy crisis as long as we do not believe any moreno in government as long as we cannot have free and Fair Elections as the longest we are not free to choose and to be true can we call it a state democracy state no i dont think so i know that every decision that our government takes effects in our every day life effects in our economy effects in our future this way yes i was fact of the world as this friday and i will be part of every other protest to protect my country to fight for my country. To promote you seat in the people you talk to who is out among the protesters who are these are these average everyday people are these simply people who are part of the opposition who are they. I think of me as a very partisan counteract think you are either a socialist or democrats i think all main is read divided. Against these lines and i think in these pro this these are mainly people who in general elections or in local election will have voted for the Democratic Party. That said it doesnt matter and say that it is wrong that these people are protesting but i think it is very important to understand that because all this side youve got also a lot of people who are not going to protest so its actually the big big clash between the government and the opposition is that the opposition says. Look we bring all these people then all the side you have the government who says the silent majority is you know doing its job and actually not protesting but willing to once they go to the ballot book and thats actually also something we probably have to see on the 1st of june when the elections will be if actually a big big number of people actually go out and protest or i would say it will go vote in these local elections since and im looking at your twitter page right now and i want you should explain why things have come back to me yet control in so were looking at breaking Regional Voting Center number 9 im just going to put the video in action here since i know you can see us what spending. So basically o. B. s 90 Regional Election headquarters and they are spread all over the country and. 4 in 14 of them there were small or major incidents one of them was burned. Book better books and ballots. Were actually burned inside a school there were several other incidents where people took the computers out of them broke them so basically in 14 of the 19. Regional election headquarters there were small or big instance birds why this is important is that a man of this wee