Week in Review: Elections, Vaccine Wars and Never Ending Struggles

Braced

Albanian citizens cast their votes at a polling station in Tirana, Albania, 30 June 2019. Albanians headed to the polls for local elections. EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

Albania is gearing up for the long-awaited Parliamentary elections which will be held on April 25. Yet it is not only Albanian eyes which are focused on the election campaign, but also those of international observers, particularly from the EU and US, who will watch warily to see how the election is conducted.

There are realistic fears that the election campaign will be even more bitter and tense than that of 2017. Already there have been scuffles between rival camps and many observers think this is just the beginning. Just as big an issue will be the presence of criminals on candidate lists. Our analysis looks at what lies in store for Albania over the next month.

Read more: Deeply Divided Albania Braces for Turbulent Election (March 19, 2021)

Vaccine Wars

A nurse prepares the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus - disease (COVID-19). Photo: EPA/Georgi Licovski

As Moldova's political parties engage in a tug of war over whether and when early Parliamentary elections will be held, the issue of securing vaccines against COVID-19 is getting caught up in their brinkmanship.

While the Socialist-controlled Moldovan Government lays the groundwork for purchasing vaccines, critics from the opposition claim that the rules are being rigged in order to ensure that Russia's Sputnik V is the dominant vaccine in Moldova. Our analysis takes a look at how this plays into the ongoing power struggle between the country's pro-Western and pro-European political blocks.

Read more: Suspicions Rise over Moldovan Socialists' Pursuit of...