ALBANIAN ISLAMIC COMMUNITY ELECTIONS RIGGED?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000184 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF PREL AL SUBJECT: ALBANIAN ISLAMIC COMMUNITY ELECTIONS RIGGED? Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN L. WITHERS II FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d ). ¶1. (C) Summary: On March 18, Selim Muca, Chairman of the Albanian Islamic Community (AIC),announced the AIC would hold elections for the Chairman, and three days later Muca was elected unopposed to another five-year term. However, on March 24, in response to a March 20 lawsuit filed by some AIC members which alleged that Muca violated the AIC's electoral code by calling this snap election, a lower court voided Muca's reelection pending a full hearing on the merits of the case. The election was criticized by some AIC members who said that Muca called the snap elections to ensure that he would run unopposed for the Chairmanship. Embassy sources suggest that Muca,s decision was geared toward securing his place as Chairman in light of changes caused by the religious "agreements" reached in early 2009 that will require the AIC and others to reregister and submit their bylaws for review. As ever, the real issue seems to be property restitution and the enormous sums of money that are at stake in this process, but this may also be a struggle between the more laissez-faire old guard and the more strictly religious younger generation. End summary. ¶2. (C) On March 21, 75-year old Selim Muca, Chairman of the Albanian Islamic Community (AIC),was elected to his second five-year term as Chairman by a vote of 68-20 against two lesser known candidates who did not pose a serious threat to Muca's chances at reelection. The elections were not without drama however, as many members of the AIC were upset with Muca's March 18 call for elections. In response to the snap elections, several members of the AIC filed a lawsuit to halt the March 21 elections, arguing that the decision to hold an election so quickly violates AIC electoral procedures. Despite this case, Muca went ahead with the elections but on March 24, a lower court voided the election results pending a full hearing. The date of the next hearing is unknown and it is difficult to ascertain how the court might rule. According to Saimir Rusheku (protect),Deputy Director of the AIC, Muca called for the quick elections in order to ensure that he would run unopposed and win easily. ¶3. (C) The elections are important because the Chairman of the AIC has considerable influence over the property holdings ;of the AIC. Property is the real issue. Once among the largest landholders in country, the AIC has regained only a portion of its former holdings. Indeed in two meetings, one with an AIC official and one with the Chairman on the State Committee for Religion, Rasmi Hasanaj, religion was barely mentioned; the two officials talked incessantly about property deals and money. Local media coverage, while oddly quiet overall, echoed these concerns and speculated about dirty land deals and millions of Euros changing hands on construction projects. Muca, for his part, has defended his actions by depicting the objections to the elections as efforts of extremist radical groups that want to take over the community. Hasanaj and others have rejected these notions. ¶4. (C) It seems that Muca declared the quick elections in order to ensure that he is the Chairman of the AIC because of the passage of the religious "agreements" between the four major religious groups (the AIC, Orthodox Church, Catholic Church and Bektashi) earlier this year. According to the "agreements," each group will soon be required to re-register with the state and submit their by-laws for review. By holding the elections now, Muca is attempting to secure his Chairmanship for the next five years and avoid any potential problems with re-registration and/or the GOA's review of the AIC's bylaws. According to GOA officials, the new agreements were created in order to allow the GOA to better regulate the activities of the four major groups as well as provide them a means to fund their operations. Under the agreements, the four groups would be able to manage their properties themselves and spend the non-taxable proceeds in a manner they see fit. The GOA hopes that with this income, the four groups will be able to self-finance their operations, thereby avoiding the interests of outside actors such as Iran, Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia which are keen to exert more influence in Albania. ¶5. (C) According to GOA contacts, the religious communities would be given "priority status" in the property restitution cases. This framework, while laudable, does have the potential to open the door for corruption, however, as each restitution decision must be reached on a case-by-case basis, creating the potential for hundreds, if not thousands, of cases with millions of dollars at stake. The basis for the restitution cases comes from a 1960s Communist registry that states which properties were owned by the various religious TIRANA 00000184 002 OF 002 groups when the Communist regime appropriated them. While the registry is considered accurate by most observers, sorting out the myriad claims to title, especially if a property has multiple ownership, is quite complex. The four religious groups could become some of the largest landowners in Albania. ¶6. (C) Comment: As ever with the AIC, property and money seem to be the dominant issues, not religion. The control of assets and hanging on to power seems to be the primary motivations for Muca, which may be raising the ire of the rank and file members as demonstrated by the lawsuit and open criticism of the elections. This may also be a struggle between the more laissez-faire old guard and the more strictly religious younger generation. Corruption within the AIC could also lead to revulsion and revolt on the part of the younger generation and could create an opening for a more fundamental, less tolerant form of Islam. The lower court's ruling that the elections be voided is a serious blow to Muca's chance at reelection, but he is a savvy operator with considerable connections, so he cannot be counted out yet. WITHERS