OSCE/ODIHR presents recommendations following June’s parliamentary elections in Albania
Recommendations from the final report of the Election Observation Mission to the 23 June 2013 parliamentary elections in Albania were presented by a team from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from 18 to 21 November 2013 in Tirana.
The ODIHR team presented the report’s findings and recommendations in meetings with the President, officials from the Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, and Ministry for Relations with the Parliament, as well as with representatives of the Central Election Commission, the parliament and other agencies. The team also met with representatives of political parties and discussed the report with the international community and civil society jointly at separate roundtable meetings organized by ODIHR and the OSCE Presence in Albania.
The final report notes that, while the electoral framework generally provides a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections, more efforts are required to ensure better implementation of election laws and to raise public confidence in the electoral process.
The report recommends further enhancing the independence of the Central Election Commission and ensuring that election officials refrain from basing their decisions on political considerations. Additionally, authorities and political parties are encouraged to take stronger steps to ensure that pressure is not applied on voters.
The report also says the Electoral Code should guarantee the rights of all interested parties to lodge administrative complaints on the electoral process, and notes ways to increase women’s participation and campaign visibility.
In the discussions, the ODIHR team noted that Albania made efforts in the past to follow up promptly on OSCE/ODIHR assessments and recommendations, and that the Office remains ready to continue to assist the country’s authorities in bringing electoral legislation and practice more in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards.