“Punish Those Who Want to Buy Your Voteâ€
President of the Republic, Ilir Meta has urged Thursday the citizens of Albania to punish the persons who want to buy their vote and oust their children from their homeland as the general elections of April 25 are just 9 days away.
The Head of State released this statement as the Catholic Bishops stressed earlier that all those people who choose to sell their vote on the general elections of April 25, sell their own and their families’ dignity.
“Punish those who want to buy your vote and expel your children from Albania, our blessed homeland!
I salute the strong and inspiring message of the Episcopal Conference of Albania, which encourages mass participation of citizens in the historic elections of April 25, a right and moral obligation to the most important moment of democratic life and the European future of Albania.
I also echo their call not to fall into the trap of anyone who seeks to treat Albanian citizens as loot that is sold and bought, but to vote of their own free will and for those candidates who must deserve your trust!
Whoever falsifies, whoever tries to alienate and affect the vote, will have his place in prisonâ€, marked President Meta in his message to the citizens.
Previously, the US Ambassador to Albania, Yuri Kim also supported the statement by the Catholic Bishops, who also demanded that free and fair elections are held in Albania, also that every vote, voter and the final result is respected as they called on the people to take part in the ballot “to entrust the newly elected with the enforcement of institutions and their effectiveness and elimination of corruptionâ€.
“Powerful msg of Catholic Bishops: 'Vote rigging is a big wound! Whoever sells the vote has sold his & his family's dignity. Whoever buys the vote by taking advantage of the poverty of the voters is not worthy to sit in the position for which he seeks’â€, tweeted Ambassador Kim.