The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 11 May parliamentary elections in Albania, following an official invitation from the national authorities.
The mission is headed by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier and consists of a core team of 12 international experts based in Tirana and 26 long-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country from 10 April. ODIHR will also request 300 short-term observers, to arrive several days before election day.
The mission will assess the election for its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.
Observers will closely monitor all aspects of the election, including developments before and after election day. Specific areas of focus will include the implementation of the legal framework, the campaign, including on social networks, the work of the election administration at all levels, the resolution of election disputes, and media coverage. The observers will also assess the implementation of previous ODIHR election recommendations.
Meetings with representatives of state authorities, political parties, civil society, the media and the international community form an integral part of the observation.
On election day, the ODIHR mission will join efforts with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament to observe the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of votes and the tabulation of results.
An interim report will be published some two weeks prior to the election, and the day after the election the mission's preliminary findings and conclusions will be presented at a press conference. A final report with an assessment of the entire election process and containing recommendations will be published some months after the election.
