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Albanian parliamentary elections mark progress towards international standards
TIRANA 25 June 2001
TIRANA, 25 June 2001 (OSCE) - Yesterday's parliamentary elections in Albania marked progress towards meeting international standards for democratic elections, concluded the International Election Observation Mission in a statement issued in Tirana today.
"This election represents another important step towards the consolidation of democracy in Albania", said Bruce George, Vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator for these elections designated by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
"The Central Election Commission's professional and transparent conduct contributed significantly to the progress noted in these elections. Their distance from political party disputes was courageous", said Jerzy Smorawinski, Chairman of the delegation of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.
"The media assumed an important role in this election campaign and a large spectrum of media gave voters the opportunity to make an informed choice", added Doris Pack, Head of the European Parliament delegation.
The campaign took place in a generally peaceful atmosphere. A total of 28 parties took part and fielded some 2,000 candidates. The most contentious issue was the attempt to field party affiliates as independent candidates, aiming to increase the number of compensatory mandates allocated to parties. Other shortcomings observed include inaccuracies in the voter lists, and excessive deviations in the number of voters registered in some electoral constituencies.
Election day was largely peaceful, except for a handful of isolated violent incidents. The voting and counting process was relatively positive. However, despite the best effort of polling commissions in most areas, their lack of training and disorganization were evident on election day. Also, disputes among polling and zone commission members and other procedural difficulties will force reruns in one out of 100 constituencies and a limited number of polling centers in others. The voter turnout was reported around 60%.
"The final assessment on whether these elections will bring Albania closer to international standards depends on the tabulation of results for the first round, and the conduct of the second round on 8 July, as well as on the process of allocating the compensatory mandates and the role which the Central Election Commission and the courts play in this process", concluded Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in Tirana.
Mission information:
The International Election Observation Mission is a joint undertaking of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
An OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission with 10 election experts in the Tirana headquarters and 18 long-term observers deployed to the regions was established in late May to assess the legal framework, the election administration, the media environment, and conditions for the election campaign. For election day, the International Election Observation Mission has deployed over 270 short-term observers from 30 countries, including 39 from the OSCE PA, 17 from the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly and 7 from the European Parliament, from across the political spectrum. Also, the Organisation International de la Francophonie contributed 14 observers for election day. International observers monitored the voting and counting procedures in polling stations and election commissions across Albania.
For further information, please contact:
Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of Mission of the EOM in Tirana, +(355 4) 230979, -232523, -232524, -232525Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, OSCE/ODIHR Spokesperson, +48-603 683 122Jan Jooren, Press Counsellor, OSCE PA, +45 40304985John Hartland or Vladimir Vronov, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, +33 607 427298Sabina Mazzi-Zissis, Administrator, European Parliament, +32-496 599 473
"This election represents another important step towards the consolidation of democracy in Albania", said Bruce George, Vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator for these elections designated by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
"The Central Election Commission's professional and transparent conduct contributed significantly to the progress noted in these elections. Their distance from political party disputes was courageous", said Jerzy Smorawinski, Chairman of the delegation of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.
"The media assumed an important role in this election campaign and a large spectrum of media gave voters the opportunity to make an informed choice", added Doris Pack, Head of the European Parliament delegation.
The campaign took place in a generally peaceful atmosphere. A total of 28 parties took part and fielded some 2,000 candidates. The most contentious issue was the attempt to field party affiliates as independent candidates, aiming to increase the number of compensatory mandates allocated to parties. Other shortcomings observed include inaccuracies in the voter lists, and excessive deviations in the number of voters registered in some electoral constituencies.
Election day was largely peaceful, except for a handful of isolated violent incidents. The voting and counting process was relatively positive. However, despite the best effort of polling commissions in most areas, their lack of training and disorganization were evident on election day. Also, disputes among polling and zone commission members and other procedural difficulties will force reruns in one out of 100 constituencies and a limited number of polling centers in others. The voter turnout was reported around 60%.
"The final assessment on whether these elections will bring Albania closer to international standards depends on the tabulation of results for the first round, and the conduct of the second round on 8 July, as well as on the process of allocating the compensatory mandates and the role which the Central Election Commission and the courts play in this process", concluded Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in Tirana.
Mission information:
The International Election Observation Mission is a joint undertaking of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
An OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission with 10 election experts in the Tirana headquarters and 18 long-term observers deployed to the regions was established in late May to assess the legal framework, the election administration, the media environment, and conditions for the election campaign. For election day, the International Election Observation Mission has deployed over 270 short-term observers from 30 countries, including 39 from the OSCE PA, 17 from the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly and 7 from the European Parliament, from across the political spectrum. Also, the Organisation International de la Francophonie contributed 14 observers for election day. International observers monitored the voting and counting procedures in polling stations and election commissions across Albania.
For further information, please contact:
Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of Mission of the EOM in Tirana, +(355 4) 230979, -232523, -232524, -232525Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, OSCE/ODIHR Spokesperson, +48-603 683 122Jan Jooren, Press Counsellor, OSCE PA, +45 40304985John Hartland or Vladimir Vronov, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, +33 607 427298Sabina Mazzi-Zissis, Administrator, European Parliament, +32-496 599 473