Dumani meets with Celibashi: SPAK and CEC will create a mechanism to guarantee the integrity of the elections

2025-02-13 15:11:59 / POLITIKË ALFA PRESS

Dumani meets with Celibashi: SPAK and CEC will create a mechanism to guarantee

The State Election Commissioner, Ilirjan Celibashi, held a meeting today with the Head of the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), Altin Dumani, to discuss strengthening institutional mechanisms in the function of preventing and prosecuting electoral crimes. During the meeting, Dumani emphasized that SPAK aims for a more proactive approach in handling cases with criminal elements during electoral processes.

He underlined the importance of close cooperation with the CEC and the need to establish an Institutional Coordination Protocol, which will create 24/7 open lines of communication between institutions. Within the framework of this protocol, SPAK will organize specialized structures at the central and local levels, composed of prosecutors and investigators, which will work in synchrony with CEC representatives at every level. According to Dumani, SPAK, in cooperation with the CEC and the General Prosecutor's Office, will have an active presence on the ground to closely monitor the situation three months before the elections and until the end of the counting process.

To this end, dedicated mechanisms will be created to guarantee immediate reporting and rapid intervention in cases where violations are identified. SPAK also requested cooperation in a unified reporting system, where citizens and civil society or other actors can report possible cases of electoral crimes. The data collected will be analyzed by prosecutors and investigators to verify the validity of the allegations and to initiate investigations into suspected cases. In this context, Dumani asked the CEC to organize joint trainings between SPAK prosecutors, investigators of the National Bureau of Investigation (BKH) and CEC experts, with a focus on identifying criminal offenses in elections and collecting evidence for full and efficient investigations.

Another request of SPAK was access to the CEC’s Public Activity Reporting Interface (NIR), a system that can help identify potential violations during the campaign and election administration. For his part, the State Election Commissioner, Ilirjan Celibashi, emphasized that in addition to the CEC, other actors involved in the elections are in support of the creation and functioning of a focused inter-institutional coordination mechanism between the CEC, SPAK, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the State Police.

He also announced the establishment of the Electoral Process Monitoring Center at the CEC, which will be supplied 24/7 with information from the field through the use of technology and resources from commissioners, monitors and authorized CEC representatives in the field. SPAK investigators may also be engaged in this center to guarantee immediate prosecution of cases with criminal elements.

It is learned that Celibashi and Dumani agreed to finalize the Coordination Protocol between the CEC, SPAK and the General Prosecutor's Office, creating a clear mechanism for the exchange of information, the follow-up of cases and the coordination of efforts to guarantee the integrity of elections in Albania. With this agreement, the institutions commit to closer cooperation and concrete actions in the fight against electoral crimes, ensuring transparency and accountability in all phases of the electoral process.