Parliamentary Elections, 11 May 2025
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Mission at a glance
Head of Mission: Ambassador Lamberto Zannier
Core team of 12 experts from 11 OSCE participating States, based in Tirana
26 long-term observers deployed throughout the country
Mission schedule
2 April: Opening of the mission
8 April: Arrival of long-term observers
9 April: Briefing of long-term observers
10 April: Deployment of long-term observers throughout the country
7 May: Arrival of short-term observers
8 May: STO Briefing
9 May: Deployment of short-term observers
10 May: Familiarization with area of observation
11 May: Election day
12 May: Press conference on preliminary findings and conclusions
14 May: Departure of short-term observers
20 May: Departure of long-term observers
22 May: Departure of the core team
Following an invitation to observe the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Albania scheduled for 11 May 2025, and in accordance with its mandate, ODIHR has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) for these elections.
The ODIHR EOM and the OSCE Presence in Albania operate separately under their specific mandates.
Long-term Observation
The ODIHR EOM, headed by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, consists of 12 international experts based in Tirana. In addition, 26 long-term observers, from 14 participating countries, will be deployed throughout the country from 10 April.
The mission will assess the elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards, as well as with national legislation. Observers will, in particular, look into the legal framework for and the administration of elections, candidate registration, conduct of the campaign, the resolution of election-related disputes, campaign finance rules, as well as media environment and media coverage of the elections. They will also assess how prior ODIHR election-related recommendations have been implemented. As part of the observation, the EOM will conduct comprehensive monitoring of the media.
Election Day
ODIHR has requested 300 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 11 May elections. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to follow the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.
The day after the elections, ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.
Co-operation with other partners
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament intend to deploy observer delegations for these elections.
The day after the elections, ODIHR, together with its parliamentary partners, will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued some months after the end of the election process.
Previous Elections
ODIHR has previously observed 16 elections and referenda in the country, most recently the 2023 local elections.