The Central Election Commission (CEC), with the support of the OSCE Presence in Albania, organised the discussion table: “What should the CEC do to improve the administration of the 2025 elections?
The meeting was attended by representatives of political parties, civil society organisations and international organisations involved in the elections.
The main objective of the meeting was to identify and discuss issues affecting the proper administration of the 2025 election process, which at the moment seem less likely to be addressed by the ongoing electoral reform process.
The State Commissioner for Elections, Mr Ilirjan Celibashi, said that the purpose of this meeting was to open the discussion on issues that the CEC can address independently of the legal changes that the Assembly of Albania will make. “We have many issues that we can discuss, there are many problems that the CEC will have to address in order to improve the whole process of preparation and administration of the elections. We are witnesses of various problems that characterise the electoral process in Albania. We will list all the problematic issues and then exchange views on the ways and means that the CEC will have to follow in order to address them. Political parties, civil society and all parties involved in the elections are invited to promote and support this initiative of the CEC in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania“.
Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania Ambassador Michel Tarran called on political actors for an inclusive and timely electoral reform, in order to allow the election administration bodies ample time to successfully implement it. “A pressing challenge remains: addressing and effective implementation of the Constitutional Court’s decisions, including the one on out-of-country voting. It is essential that any decisions, whether addressing legislative gaps or practical arrangements, emerge from a broad consensus. This consensus must be grounded in thorough assessments and comprehensive consultations with all relevant stakeholders, including political actors, civil society, and the diaspora community. This approach will allow smooth and uncontested implementation of out-of-country voting thus contributing to increasing the trust of voters in the electoral process”, said Tarran.
Participants at the meeting discussed issues related to the establishment of an effective communication system between the CEC and law enforcement agencies, the management and monitoring of the voting process and the counting of votes at the polling stations, the reporting of public institutions to the CEC, the training of lower-level commissioners, the use of public resources in the campaign, etc. Representatives of various parties and civil society organisations were able to propose practical measures to address the challenges identified.
Representatives from different parties and civil society organisations had the opportunity to propose practical measures to address the challenges identified.
