Albania sets date for 2011 local elections

Albania’s President Bamir Topi signed a decree Monday (September 6th) setting May 8th 2011 as the date for local elections. The move came only two days before the deadline to issue the document expired. The two main political parties — the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition Socialist Party (SP) — now have to push through reforms and work together to strengthen the electoral code. The last local elections were held in 2007. The main battle in the 2011 vote is expected to be the mayor’s race in Tirana, where SP leader Edi Rama is the incumbent.