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Challenges to democracy in Albania : hearing before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, One Hundred Fourth Congress, second session, March 14, 1996 of individuals. Probably several rounds of elections will be necessary before a sta- ble system of relatively disciplined and responsible parties can emerge. Many parties overlap ideologically and in their social ap- peal, which makes it difficult to describe their stand in terms of the Western traditional left/right continuum. Moreover, Albania has witnessed a tendency toward increasing fragmentation of the larg- est parties. Parliamentary elections will be held at the end of May or the be- ginning of June. More than a dozen parties are expected to appear on the ballot. Although according to two recent polls sponsored by the U.S. International Republican Institute