Are there lessons from Bush v. Gore for Albania?
By James A. Baker III
Twenty years ago last week, despite the concerns of my security detail, I stood atop a wooden platform in the main square of Tirana, Albania, to address a euphoric crowd of 300,00.
Tens of thousands more had lined the route that I had just traveled from the airport. As the first senior U.S. official to visit that closed society following the end of more than 50 years of communist rule, my message was simple. "Freedom works," I said. "At last, you are free to think your own thoughts.... At last you are free to choose your own leaders.
Today, as I reflect upon that visit and consider great admiration for the people of Albania, I realize that I could have added another message: Yes, freedom works, but it works best when citizens maintain fervent respect for, and adherence to, the rule of law that provides the framework for an orderly democracy.
This is important to remember as the country's ongoing political gridlock jeopardizes its prospects for further integration into European and global institutions. While Albania joined NATO in 2009 and is considered a candidate country for European Union membership, the country's full accession is hampered by widespread reports of political dysfunction.
The latest example of Albania's crippling political gridlock was May 8's extraordinarily close election for mayor of Tirana. The two candidates, representing both major political parties, are among the country's leading political figures. The race pitted Lulzim Basha of the ruling Democratic Party -- a former foreign minister -- against Edi Rama, the leader of the Socialists -- Albania's main opposition party. With almost 250,000 votes cast, Rama claims to have a lead of 10 votes, while Basha claims that he is ahead by 81 votes.
The winner has yet to be officially declared, and a panel of judges has been reviewing arguments over which ballots should be counted and which should be excluded. The controversy comes against the backdrop of ongoing political turmoil since Albania's contested general election of 2009, after which the Socialists staged massive street demonstrations over what they saw as serious voting irregularities.
Of course, I am familiar with extraordinarily close elections. In 2000, I headed George W. Bush's legal team in Florida during the recount of the election there. That recount outcome would determine the next president of the United States. Approximately 6 million votes had been cast in Florida. Following the initial count, the candidates were separated by only 300 votes. My experience in the Florida recount of the U.S. presidential election taught me several lessons that I think are applicable to the situation in Albania today.
