The President of the Assembly, Mrs. Lindita Nikolla, the State Commissioner for Elections, Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi, and the Ambassador of Switzerland, Mrs. Ruth Huber, signed at the the agreement for the “Support for Parliament and Civic Education” program.
This tripartite agreement between the Parliament, the Central Elections Commission, and the Government of Switzerland will provide technical assistance to enhance the representative, legislative, and oversight functions of the Parliament, as well as improve administration and transparency in electoral processes.
“The agreement aims to improve the representative, legislative and oversight functions of the Assembly through the improvement of the electoral process, the implementation of a data-based legislative process, the strengthening of cooperation with independent institutions and the active participation of civil society in these processes. The implementation of the project will contribute to increasing the responsibility, accountability, productivity and transparency of the activities of the Assembly of Albania. The successful implementation of the PACEP project has brought us to this second phase, which I am confident will be as successful as the first,” said the Speaker of the Assembly, Mrs. Nikolla.
“From Switzerland’s perspective, we see the role of the parliament as essential for democracy in Albania. Parliament is an important part of the system of checks and balances in the country. And it needs to sharpen and improve its three main functions: representing the people, making good laws and supervising the government,” said Swiss Ambassador Ruth Huber.
“With today’s agreement, we pave the way for the beginning of a more comprehensive method of oversight and checks and balances, emphasising the work of independent institutions and civil society,” Ambassador Huber added.
“The agreement we are signing today, PACEP 2, is a testament to our shared commitment to strengthening democracy and ensuring transparency and credibility in electoral processes. Thanks to the support and commitment of the Swiss Government, we will have the opportunity to integrate advanced technologies that will help us improve election management, increase efficiency and minimise errors. This support is an added value for our electoral processes and will serve as an excellent example of international cooperation between the Assembly, the CEC and the Swiss Government,” said Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi, State Commissioner for Elections.
Under the agreement, the Swiss Government commits 9.5 million Swiss francs until 2028 to implement this supportive project. Expected outcomes include improvements in the electoral legal framework, legislative processes, increased oversight role of Parliament, election administration, and enhanced transparency in electoral processes.
One of the examples initiated in the previous phase includes the use of innovative technology and digitalization in the legislative process. This form of assistance, initiated by the OSCE, will be further consolidated during this phase.
The implementing partners of the project include OSCE, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the Global Governance Partnership (GPG).
