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TIRANA - Albania's parliament has elected the ruling Democratic Party's vice chairman, Bamir Topi, president, avoiding snap polls that would have delayed reforms needed for membership of the European Union and Nato.
Topi, 50, received 85 votes in the penultimate round, one more than needed, thanks to several opposition Socialist Party lawmakers who disregarded an opposition call for a boycott of the vote.
His election was hailed with cheers by Democrat lawmakers inside the chamber and firecrackers set off by supporters outside the parliament building.
"I pledge to bring balance to the Albanian political climate and modernise our institutions to make sure we live up to the challenge of joining the European Union and Nato," Topi told parliament in a speech that was broadcast nationwide.
Topi is respected by most Albanians for his calm and rational manner on the political stage and his willingness to compromise, a rarity in Albanian politics.
But he was not acceptable to the Socialists and their leftist allies, who insisted the president should have been chosen by consensus because neither bloc had enough votes to elect the head of state on its own.
Topi was elected thanks to the votes of several Socialist Party lawmakers loyal to their former leader Fatos Nano, who also ran unsuccessfuly for president but did not have his party's full support.
Commentators said Nano's backing for Topi was an "act of hatred" for the new Socialist leadership.
Neritan Ceka, the other candidate, who received only five votes, said he hoped Topi would preserve his good qualities throughout the presidency in order to "be a dignified representative of Albania's politics."
"I want to add that some good works are done even with evil men," Ceka said, referring to the opposition lawmakers who voted for Topi.
Although the parties failed to reach consensus, analysts agreed Albanians would rather settle on a new president than endure another gruelling election just six months after municipal polls failed to meet international standards.
"Faced with a choice of early elections or electing one of them, I think Albanians are now happy to have one of them as president," analyst Fatos Lubonja said.
"Albania avoided early general elections that would have cost it at least nine months of instability and, most probably, economic collapse," analyst Blendi Fevziu said.
The European Union said Albania could not afford to waste time holding a new election simply because politicians could not agree on who should be head of state, a largely ceremonial position. Albania's EU hopes hinge on broad reforms, especially in the state administration, police and the judiciary.
- REUTERS
