OSCE Presence calls on political parties in Albania to work intensively on electoral reforms

TIRANA, 18 December 2007 - The OSCE Presence in Albania welcomed today the extension of the mandate of the parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on Electoral Reform and urged politicial representation to work together to make progress in furthering electoral reform in the country.

"The OSCE Presence regrets that up to now no concrete results have been produced on the electoral reform," said Ambassador Robert Bosch, the Head of the OSCE Presence.

"We expect that, without losing any more time, all parties will engage to enact all the necessary legislative changes in line with Albania's OSCE commitments and the recommendations in the OSCE/ODIHR's Election Observation Final Reports, as well as with the 2004 and 2007 Joint Legal reviews prepared with the Council of Europe's Venice Commission, and other international standards for democratic elections."

"We look forward to seeing the Albanian authorities introduce further improvements in the electoral legislation in an inclusive and transparent manner," he said, adding that the OSCE stands ready to contribute to the electoral reform process by facilitating and offering expertise as requested.

Implementing electoral reform in accordance with international standards is a prerequisite for Albania's integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.