Albanian police start training ahead of local elections

TIRANA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Albanian State Police started training on Tuesday at the Security Academy here in the capital ahead of the local elections slated for June 30.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Police forces training, Director of the Albanian State Police Ardi Veliu said Police is the main actor to guarantee the right to vote for all Albanian citizens as they "operate in accordance with the law."

Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Albania Bernd Borchardt said he was confident that the Police forces will remain neutral during the electoral process.

"I am sure that the professionalism of public institutions, including state Police, will guarantee the people that their votes are really valid and that the final result will reflect the political will of the entire Albanian society," Borchardt said.

Albania will hold local elections on June 30. The government has started the preparation for these elections, whereas the opposition parties refused to participate, accusing the Socialist government of being corrupt and linked to organized crime.

During the past month, the main opposition Democratic Party and other small parties have organized several protests involving violence calling for early election and refusing to hold dialogue with Prime Minister Edi Rama from the Socialist Party.