Today, the Regulatory Commission with five votes in favor approved the rules for the registration of voters from abroad and the preparation of the list of voters.

This decision provides general rules defined in the Law regarding the voter registration process and the competent institution to administer this process, where it is determined that the voter’s registration in the list of voters abroad is based on the voter’s own will to exercise the right of voting abroad. Registration in the list of voters abroad does result in his deregistration from the list of voters who vote within the territory of the Republic of Albania.

There are special rules related to the submission of the registration request, the deadlines and the accompanying documentation that the voter from abroad will have to complete. The opening of the process of drawing up the list of voters who vote from abroad and their registration is done by the State Elections Commissioner, the request for registration will be made individually by the voter and this request is directed to the Central Election Commission according to the procedures and deadlines of provided for in this decision.

Requests for registration will be made on the electronic platform which is created, maintained, and updated by the CEC. The Electronic Registration Platform, (referred to as “PER”) in both mobile and desktop versions will be free of charge for voters in order to reduce the cost burden on the voter, as well as to increase accessibility for anyone so that they are not depending on the technology that each one has.

The decision also defines the way of examining incoming requests and the components of the list of voters abroad, the way and deadlines for communication with the NRCS, as well as the modalities and other technical rules for drawing up this list.

Also, the rules related to the supervision and control of the registration process are provided to ensure transparency and access of all parties in every preparatory or implementation step of the process, such as the following: the right of political parties, Albanian non-governmental organizations and foreign, as well as international organizations specialized or engaged in good governance and democratization, representatives of foreign countries accredited in Albania, as well as the media, to be familiar with all elements of PER, especially during the processes of operational testing, control or its audit, as well as to participate in testing during the process of registering the requests of voters from outside the territory of the Republic of Albania.

The decision was taken after consultations with representatives of political parties, representatives of diaspora organizations, local civil society organizations engaged in good governance and democratization, whose activities focus on elections, as well as the media.