ODIHR experts discuss electoral recommendations in Albania
Experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report and recommendations of the observation mission to the 2019 local elections in Albania during a visit to Tirana from 14 to 17 October 2019.
The ODIHR experts met with representatives of the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs, the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of Interior, the media regulator, as well as representatives of political parties, the media, civil society organizations and the international community.
In these meetings, ODIHR reiterated that voting was conducted in a generally peaceful and orderly manner, but overall, the elections were held with little regard for the interests of the electorate. The experts noted that the legal framework could provide a sound basis for democratic elections, if implemented impartially and with genuine political will.
The absence of political agreement since the 2017 parliamentary elections prevented progress on the electoral reform, leaving most prior recommendations made by ODIHR unaddressed, including those concerning the de-politicization of the election administration, transparency of campaign finance and effectiveness of election dispute resolution. The experts, therefore, urged the government and other stakeholders to take steps to implement a previously initiated reform.
The discussion also touched upon other priority recommendations, such as addressing the misuse of administrative resources, ensuring vote secrecy, as well as following up on the issue of electoral violations.
“The week’s meetings were constructive and provided ODIHR and national stakeholders the opportunity to directly discuss the report’s findings and recommendations,” said Ambassador Audrey Glover, Head of ODIHR’s Election Observation Mission to the local elections. “We look forward to the next steps that the authorities will take to follow up on the recommendations and to identify ways ODIHR can offer assistance.”
The authorities and other stakeholders discussed ODIHR’s potential engagement in providing legal and technical expertise to assist in implementing these recommendations, including a review of draft amendments to the electoral code, continued participation in discussions on electoral reforms and the provision of technical assistance to the institutions engaged in the electoral process.