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Strasbourg, France, 25 October 2023
Dear colleagues,
I would like to present to you today a draft recommendation on the findings of the Election Observation Mission carried out to assess the local elections held in Albania on 14 May 2023. The explanatory memorandum was adopted and the draft recommendation approved at the Monitoring Committee meeting last July in Potsdam.
In addition to the Congress, the OSCE/ODIHR and the European Parliament also deployed observers for these elections. I presented the Congress preliminary findings at a joint press conference and emphasised on matters of concern that remained unaddressed but also on the fruitful cooperation between the Congress and other international observers.
Concerning the mission, I had the pleasure to lead a Congress delegation of 15 members. It was conducted fully on site which was a first since 2015. Indeed, in 2022, the Congress mission to observe the partial elections had to be held remotely and the mission to observe the 2019 local elections had to be cancelled due to the uncertainty on the date of the elections. Our mission also ensured a follow-up to the 2019 high-level visit to assess the situation of grassroots democracy in Albania.
The 2023 elections represented the first local elections organised since amending the Electoral Code in 2020 and after the opening of the negotiations on the accession of Albania to the EU. They constituted an important test for the rule of law and the ability of all stakeholders, including political parties, to implement electoral standards. In particular, the 2020 amendments introduced a new structure of the Central Election Commission, which we believe contributed to a more professional and transparent election administration.
The elections took place in a polarised political climate, which has long been a feature of Albanian politics, as reflected in the boycott of the 2019 elections by the opposition. In light of these circumstances, the delegation welcomed the decision of the opposition to compete in these elections. However, we also noted that, although many candidates competed in these elections, genuine debates and local political programmes were still often missing.
The election campaign was almost entirely carried out at the national level between the leaders of the main political parties. As a result, local issues were often overshadowed, including in the media, which is increasingly faced with challenges to provide independent and balanced content.
While the campaign remained rather moderate in tone and low-key, the delegation heard about numerous reports of misuse of public resources and pressure exerted on public sector employees, to the benefit of incumbents. We also regretted the burdensome requirements for independent candidates to participate in local elections, which we would like to see revised, in particular on support signatures, media airtime and access to public funding.
In light of these observations, the delegation invites the authorities in addition to:
- strengthen oversight and control mechanisms on party and campaign finance;
- review and implement existing media legislation and regulations related to the misuse of public resources.
Now a few words about the Election Day: The Congress deployed ten teams to some 110 polling stations in different regions of Albania. Overall, the delegation observed a calm and orderly Election Day and welcomed that procedures were largely followed. No major incident was noted. The delegation recognised, that despite the efforts of the CEC to ensure their training, that the late appointment or dismissal of lower-level commission members by political parties presented a significant challenge. As suggested in previous reports, the delegation recommends revising the training and appointment modalities of the electoral bodies to ensure the depoliticisation and professionalism of the whole administration.
The Congress delegation also observed issues related to the lack of accessibility for voters with impaired mobility as well as instances of gatherings outside voting centres in attempts to intimidate voters, despite a ban imposed by the CEC. We noted some instances of family and group voting, abuses of assisted voting and external interference in electoral processes, particularly by party observers.
Let me quickly touch upon a specificity of Albania, which we do not have the possibility to observe in most member States: the use of new technologies in elections. After two pilot projects, Albania deployed e-voting machines in three municipalities representing 401 polling stations in the 2023 local elections. The-voting system was overall rated positively and no major incidents affected the equipped polling stations. The authorities also conducted electronic identification of voters nationwide, but polling stations faced some technical difficulties, in particular at opening which caused important delays. Nevertheless, the Congress delegation stressed the need for comprehensive voter education, as elderly voters or voters from minorities sometimes could be the target of fraud as they required assistance to use the devices. It also calls for reinforced reliability of and independent overview over the use of electronic systems in elections to improve the trust of voters, which remains low.
To conclude, as noted in the past, our delegation invites the authorities to clarify residence requirements for voter registration at local level, as an estimated 1.5 million citizens currently live abroad but are still registered to vote in local elections. In addition, we welcomed the successful application of a gender quota for local council elections. However, considering the stagnant number of women elected mayors, the delegation recommends introducing incentive measures to strengthen their participation at local level.
I recommend the adoption of this draft recommendation and thank you for your attention.