The problem with democracy: Vote worrisome Albania

Although a large part of the world can only dream of democracy, other places have difficulty for implementation. Tiny Albania emerged from Communist dictatorship in 1990 and to tumble a worldwide gross of gangsters, fraudulent financial machinations and incompetent governance, exacerbated by capitalism anarchistic and reckless policy. In 1997, popular fury on fake ballots and a plague of regimes of Ponzi scheme failures led to a massive uprising which saw the army warehouses looted and 1,500 dead. The Organization of the United Nations had to allow Italian troops to intervene to restore order.

Things are looking dicey once again in the capital Tirana. There, on 14 may, about a week the opposition of the Socialist Party was ecstatic on a razor-thin victory in the race for Mayor of Tirana. A quarter of a million votes have been issued and while the count was extraordinarily close, preliminary results showed incumbent Edi Rama ahead. Its margin: 10 votes. (See pictures of an Albanian border town, caught in a political conflict).

Rama is also at the head of the Socialist Party and the implacable enemy of the Prime Minister Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party. Berisha has existed for some time. He was President of the Albania in Ponzi scheme uprising in 1997 and, after the UN intervened, he was forced to resign. Power for eight years, he returned as Prime Minister in 2005, the Socialists to rule the eviction. Rama, 47, took over as Socialist at that time leader there.

Thus, last week, while the Socialists are preparing to cheer, Berisha demanded a recount of mayoral votes and lo, the count still incomplete, current candidate Berisha Lulzim Basha gives an advance of 60 votes. Rama and his party have been exceeded. He served three terms as Mayor of Tirana and was regarded as extremely popular, so some surprise to the proximity of the vote in the capital. The Socialists also more feel aggrieved: when they have lost the general election, two years ago, Rama cried scandal, but the courts of the country chose not taking its complaint. But international observers reported no anomalies in the latest polls in Tirana. Berisha's Party had a more vigorous get-to-the-vote campaign. and there was perhaps some frustration over the discussion of Rama on his leadership of the Socialist Party over its functions of mayors. (See why demonstrators clashed against Berisha in January).

The drama had been seized in place four months earlier. January 21, police clashed with demonstrators led by the Socialist in an incident which caused the death of four demonstators and dozens of wounded. Berisha accused Rama of an attempted coup. Rama replied that deaths were political assassination. Many Albanians saw local elections this month as a referendum on which politician was telling the truth. Ultimately, the transported Socialists in many races for mayor, while the Democrats and their allies most municipal councils. International observes, said the election was largely peaceful, but the political climate was highly charged. Today, he came down to determine if Rama will keep his own Office.

The atmosphere in Tirana is tense, at least. The Election Commission, controlled by the Democratic Party, was protected by police cordon, faced against the hundreds of supporters of Socialists in the street. Across the country, the Socialist demonstrators burned tires and cars as blocked roads. Two supporters of Rama had been beaten by the police, according to the Socialists; the Government claims dozens of police officers were injured in clashes with the demonstrators.

Head of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso has cancelled a visit to Albania Friday, citing the disorders of the election. European foreign policy Union Chief Catherine Ashton calls quarrels of cool, and that "all political leaders bear a particular responsibility not step to putting at risk the lives of the citizens." Albania had been fancying an invitation to begin the accession negotiations with the European Union towards the end of the year. Current political confrontation is unlikely to improve its chances of joining EU.

Cue the conspiracy theories: the reaction of Strauss-Kahn and French democracy

This position is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global news site translated stories of note in foreign languages in English. The following article was published originally in the world.

There is no end to the wild speech triggered by the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn by the police of New York, May 14, on charges of sexual assault, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. As if the extraordinary nature of this case and the breathtaking - and dramatic - situation in which the former head of the Monetary Fund International is now could justify more extravagant explanations.

Since the news broke every first Sunday, the notion that it was all a set-up means to unseat Strauss-Kahn is widespread as forest fires, particularly on the Internet. The world of imagination is boundless, every theory put forward seems more surprising than the other: they point to the CIA or rivals within the IMF, of large US banks or financial interests threatened by Strauss-Kahn thrust regulationplans murky by some "black cabinet" working for Nicolas Sarkozy to the Elysée Palace, or even the rival Socialist Party only too willing to get rid of a dangerous candidate before the presidential election of 2012. (See the photos of the career of Dominique Strauss-Kahn).

The conspiracy theories were fueled by the fact that certain personalities policies - supporters of Strauss-Kahn, but not only - does seem unwilling to exclude the possibility of a "trap" or "handling". In an interview with the French daily liberation that took place on 28 April, Dominique Strauss-Kahn himself alluded to the possibility that such set up could be organized by his enemies.

To top it all, a poll conducted Monday by the CSA Institute showed that 57% of the French public thought that the former head of the IMF "is the victim of a conspiracy," with the number reached 70% in the case of voters from the left.

Regardless of whether if the poll in question is legal or not - the Act adopted Guigou in 2000 requires that without these surveys are taken on a person protected by the presumption of innocence - the investigation reveals important details on the State of mind in the country of ("I think quedonc I'm"philosopher"") René Descartes and beyond. (See why theories of conspiracy of 9/11 Won't go away).

It is normal that most people find this case totally outrageous - and exciting - given that the alleged sex scandal involves one of the most powerful men of the world, and a potential candidate to the Presidency of the French Republic. But this does not mean that we should suddenly stop analyzing the facts with caution and good sense? Obviously not. Unless we are willing to admit that to challenge any authority and especially the authority of justice (be it American, in this case), reached today a troubling point of no return. Unless we are prepared to say that the efforts of investigation of the media to make has more no weight to elucubrations crazy that Internet spreads instantly everywhere around the world.

We should not still here are therefore ready to abandon in the kind of frenzy of conspiracy theories that spawned from the attacks of September 11. Let us not forget that this phenomenon is one of the sources very of totalitarianism, a sign of a democracy in regression.