The CEC celebrated the Global Election Day today, which is held on the first Thursday of February and which falls on February 1, 2024 this year.
The Central Election Commission organized the activity “Electoral process, challenges encountered and approach with stakeholders” with the support of OSCE Presence in Tirana.
The State Election Commissioner, Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi expressed his gratitude to the OSCE Presence for its continuous support for the CEC. The commissioner brought to attention the joint CEC-OSCE projects carried out during election and non-election years. “Partnership with civil society organizations has been institutionalized through successful projects which have brought qualitative results not only in the field of election education, but also in other aspects of the electoral process”. Celibashi also underlined.
Mr. Blerim Vela, Head of Democratization Department in OSCE Presence in Albania, affirmed the continuation of support for the CEC in the future. He stated that “Today, when we mark the World Election Day, it is important to reflect on the importance of the participation of young people, women and other underrepresented groups in elections and their engagement in electoral processes. The voters’ turnout data from the CEC and the findings of the OSCE/ODIHR observers show that there is still room for improvement and work to be done in this direction. Well-informed and engaged voters contribute to a healthier democracy. OSCE presence will work closely with the CEC this year to promote the participation of underrepresented groups in the 2025 elections, through voter education campaigns, in the whole country, with a focus on young people, national minorities and people with disabilities“.
The activity brought together various organizations with which the CEC cooperated in the election process, people with disabilities’ organizations, organizations that protect the interests of women, organizations that protect the interests of the Roma and Egyptian minority, minorities, the media, etc., to discuss electoral processes, the findings of the OSCE/ODIHR report from the last election observation in Albania.
This day, we focus on is on those categories that need increased attention in the electoral process, such as young people, persons with disabilities, underrepresented women, minorities and groups that do not have a voice in social and political life, in order to increase their participation in elections and in political life, facilitating the receipt of election information and creating the conditions that enable them to vote.
