The Central Election Commission (CEC) started today, in Korça, a two-day workshop to review their performance in organizing and managing the 2021 elections, and identify lessons learned to benefit future electoral processes. The event, supported by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Office of the Council of Europe in Tirana, brought together for the first time the new structures of the CEC – the State Election Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, the Regulatory Commission and the Complaints and Sanctions Commissions – and the CEC administration for a total of around 70 participants.

Opening the event, State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi said that during these six months since the 25 April elections, the staff and leading structures of the CEC have had enough time to reflect on how the CEC fulfilled their duties and responsibilities. He said that despite being a very difficult process from the technical aspect, and despite the short time available, the CEC carried out their duties in the best way possible. “This is thanks to the engagement, seriousness and professionalism of the CEC staff, mainly, but also of all the other stakeholders and players engaged in this process, including our international partners and friends”, Celibashi said. He thanked the Head of Presence, Ambassador Vincenzo Del Monaco, and Head of the CoE Office, Jutta Gützkow, for their support and presence in the event.

“After an election it is always before another election”, Ambassador Del Monaco said in his speech, adding that it is fundamental to start preparing future electoral processes without being in a rush, and by going through the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. He said that there is a very conducive context for the work of the CEC in the preparation of the next elections, the first reason for being the favourable political momentum. “I can only commend the consensual approach which I read in the news: the opposition and the ruling party agreeing on the idea of giving birth to a parliamentary committee on elections. This is an extraordinary development, consensual, as it should be when we discuss about the rules of the game”, Del Monaco said. He also pointed the professional work of the CEC in the latest elections, as recognized in the OSCE/ODIHR report.

Gützkow said she was confident that during the workshop the CEC would identify the steps to be taken to consolidate the capacities and outreach of the CEC, in view of the continuing electoral reform and run-up to the next elections. She thanked the OSCE Presence for the regular gathering of the International Election Working Group, a platform where international officials in Albania get first-hand information, meet key players, and co-ordinate actions on election-related matters.