CET ON-LINE* 28-May-96

Tuesday, May 28, 1996 Volume 1, Issue 356

Albanian opposition parties, calling the weekend general election a farce,

are urging their supporters to take to the streets in the capital Tirana,

later today, to defend their right to democratic elections. The protest

call threaten to raise tensions following the election in Europe's poorest

country in which President Sali Berisha's Democratic Party is claiming a

landlside victory. Since Sunday the streets have been filled with

celebrating Democratic Party supporters, while most leftists have remained

indoors.

Although there have been no independent reports of violence, at this time,

on the streets since the polls closed. The opposition parties did pull out

of the ex-communist state's third general election alleging that the

Democratic Party had intimidated voters and manipulated the election. The

Democrats claim they have won a huge majority and dismiss opposition

suggestions of foul play as an excuse for their heavy defeat. But, Two

European Union observers said on Monday they had seen many irregularities

in the election. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,

which sent monitors to polling stations across Albania, has yet to issue

its formal report.