PETITION FOR REFERENDUM

AS PROVISIONED IN POINT 1 OF ARTICLE 150 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE

REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

TO END THE POLITICAL CRISIS AS AN ISSUE OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE

DIRECTED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

DIRECTED TO THE CENTRAL ELECTIONS COMMISSION

27 AUGUST 2010

TIRANË, ALBANIA
In accordance with point 1 of article 126 of Law nr. 9087, date 19.06.2003, this letter represents
a request for the initiation of the procedures for referendum, in order to end according to
democratic principles the political crisis that has captured the Albanian political system. We
believe that the people are Sovereign, which means that they can decide for their present and
future. We think that the time has come that the Albanian voters ought to take the responsibility
and to exercise their sovereignty by deciding if the ballot boxes should be opened, if the votes
should be recounted, and by whom should be recounted.

For more than a year, the political crisis has invaded the public and private life of Albanians. At
a time when the simple Albanians and their families face the economic crisis, the two main
political camps are positioned against each-other on whether to open or not the boxes that
contain the voting ballots of the 2009 general elections.

It is unacceptable that Albania, unconquerable during dark and terrible trials of history, has
become the shame of Europe. It is unacceptable that the sufferings of our people should increase
by the failures of our political class.

If the people do not intervene, the situation will degrade in the near future. Soon the President of
the Republic must decree the date for the local elections of 2011. According to the Chairman of
the CEC, the decree will begin the process for the elimination of the voting ballots.

To avoid the destabilization of Albania, we present this petition for referendum. Our proposal is
the result of the systematic failures of the negotiations of the political moves of both sides. As an
issue of special importance, this crisis can be solved only through a general referendum.

The time has come for the Albanian citizen to decide his fate. Democracy is built upon the
principle that the individual is Sovereign and that the voters enjoy the authority, right, and
responsibility to intervene when their representatives fail. The Albanian Constitution provides to
the Albanian society the referendum as an instrument to release in a controlled manner the high
pressure built in our political system from the failure of the negotiations.

The object of this referendum is to solve the political crisis that has brought to a halt the
economical and institutional life in our country.

In accordance with point 5 of Article 126 and point 1 of Article 127 of Law nr. 9087, the
instrument to hold the referendum and the question to be placed at the top of the signature
forms is the question as follows.

1. Do you want a recount of the ballot papers of the June 28, 2009 elections? Yes / No
Our position is this: We ask and hope that the Albanians will be able to express their will
freely and without political interference.

In our actual case, the political crisis originated from the bad counting of the ballot papers and
degraded from the systematic failures of the negotiations between the political forces. As a
procedure, we propose nothing more or less than the case of the recounting of the ballot papers in
Florida, USA after the presidential elections of year 2000.

We invite the Central Elections Commission, the President of the Republic, and the
Constitutional Court to show the needed courage and to not be influenced by political clans in
these moments of the political crisis that our nation is going through. We invite all the
international institutions to play a constructive role in the referendum process.

We appeal to the civil conscience of our citizens to capture the historic hour of setting the
precedent of direct democracy (voting through referendum) systematically denied.

Every political interference and obstacle in the process of the referendum will be interpreted as a
violation of the basic right that Albanians have to decide their fate. The violation of the right to
self-decide will prevent the European dream of Albania and will breathe life to the accusation
that we lack the political culture needed to establish a modern democracy. Through this
referendum, we hope to testify otherwise!

With respects,

The Initiating Group.

Referendum.ne.shqiperi@gmail.com