Albania's parliamentary elections on 11 May were competitive and professionally managed, but they took place in a highly polarized environment and contestants did not enjoy a level playing field. While candidates were generally able to campaign freely, there were reports of intimidation, misuse of public resources and pressure on public employees, which undermined equal opportunities. Election day was calm overall, but procedural shortcomings, instances of intimidation and vote buying, and problems with ensuring ballot secrecy were noted.
These are some of the main conclusions from the final report , published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report offers recommendations to bring elections in Albania closer in line with OSCE commitments and international standards for democratic elections.
Key recommendations include:
- Undertaking comprehensive reform of the legal framework through an inclusive consultation process
- Ensuring stability and impartiality of the election administration by depoliticizing nomination procedures for lower-level election commissions
- Prohibiting the use of public resources for campaigning, and imposing sanctions for the misuse of office or state resources to ensure a level playing field
- Clearly defining pre-electoral campaign activities and expenses to ensure proper reporting, oversight, and enforcement of potential sanctions
- Increasing voter awareness of procedures for electronic voting to ensure all voters can cast their ballots independently
- Requiring political party and government footage to be labelled as political advertising and banning it from news and editorial programs, with timely sanction of any violations.
The ODIHR Election Observation Mission to Albania, headed by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, started work on 2 April and remained in the country until 22 May.
ODIHR also assessed Albania's efforts to implement previous recommendations. While some were addressed, many long-standing recommendations remain unimplemented, including those related to the composition of election commissions, interim reporting on campaign finance, and strengthening independent media coverage. A full list of recommendations can be found on page 32-34 of today's report.
All 57 OSCE participating States have formally committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR's election assessments and recommendations. The ODIHR Electoral Recommendations Database tracks the extent to which recommendations are implemented across the region.
