Shqip
Play with Crossword
FLASH NEWS

Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe visits Albania: We hope that the country's democratic orientation will be confirmed! The process should be monitored by civil society

2025-04-04 20:43:13 / POLITIKË ALFA PRESS

Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe visits

With just over a month to go before the May 11 elections, a 4-member delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, led by Simone Billi, visited Albania on April 3-4, 2025.

The purpose of the visit was to assess the electoral campaign and the political climate ahead of the parliamentary elections of May 11, 2025.

The official website of the Parliamentary Assembly states that the pre-election delegation identified several challenges that need to be addressed to ensure democratic processes and fair and competitive elections.

“The fight against corruption is an important and laudable objective. However, it is important that it is not seen as an interference in the democratic nature of the electoral process by favoring one political party or another, which could damage public confidence in the fight against corruption and trust in the electoral process. 

The PACE delegation heard that in Albania there is a deep-rooted “winner-takes-all” culture in political competition, where the aim is not to foster future cooperation, but to minimize the power of competitors, leaving little room for constructive dialogue in the future ,” the Parliamentary Assembly said in a statement.

Regarding the first-time diaspora voting, the delegation says that this is a positive step towards more inclusive elections, but emphasizes that "concerns were expressed that this could benefit the larger and more traditional parties and could affect the election results."

“The delegation is concerned about allegations of collusion between political parties and the state. Information was received about pressure exerted by the ruling party, sometimes directly and sometimes more covertly, on civil servants who are dependent on state employment. This further distorts the competitive landscape. The delegation also heard that vote buying – already present in past elections – remains endemic in rural, less developed areas (including indirect methods such as the distribution of financial incentives, 0% interest loans, etc.). The delegation calls on all political actors to avoid such practices. All allegations should be properly investigated.” The delegation notes that party leaders have strong control over candidate lists, which limits internal party democracy.

The lack of a real political debate shows that elections are more about personalities than clear political platforms. Young people are not interested in elections because they feel unrepresented and do not see any real difference between the platforms of existing parties.

The delegation was informed about the concentration of media ownership in the hands of private groups linked to political parties. There is no regulation of online platforms, which creates opportunities for manipulation. The temporary ban on TikTok in the media highlights concerns about the instrumentalization of social media and the flow of information in the run-up to elections.

The delegation welcomed the fact that several interlocutors mentioned that the current legislation providing for a mandatory gender quota ensures adequate representation of women on electoral lists.

The interlocutors expressed confidence in the ability of the Central Election Commission to work transparently and in cooperation with civil society.

The PACE delegation was saddened to learn that there will be no large-scale observation by civil society observers at polling stations on election day, as this could reduce the transparency of the electoral process, while some interlocutors expressed fears of pressure and intimidation of voters on election day.

The delegation acknowledges that some of these issues may be difficult to address before election day, but calls on the authorities and all election stakeholders to address those that can still be resolved.

DELEGATION MEETINGS IN TIRANA 

In Tirana, the delegation met with the Speaker of the Assembly, leaders and representatives of the main parliamentary groups and main parties outside parliament, as well as members of the Albanian delegation to PACE. The delegation also met with the Head and Deputy Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, the State Election Commissioner and members of the Central Election Commission, representatives of the diplomatic community, civil society and the media, representatives of the Albanian Media Agency, the Information Agency and the National Investigation Unit for Organized Crime and Corruption.

PACE – which represents MEPs from 46 European states – is observing the elections in Albania as part of its post-monitoring dialogue with the country. A full 22-member delegation of the Assembly, accompanied by legal experts from the Venice Commission, will travel to the country to observe the vote on 11 May as part of an international election observation mission, together with ODIHR and delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament. PACE will discuss its conclusions later.

 

Happening now...

Want to read more news

ideas

top

Alfa recipes

TRENDING

services

  • POLICE129
  • STREET POLICE126
  • AMBULANCE112
  • FIREFIGHTER128