The European Union - Council of Europe action “Support to the Electoral Cycle in Albania” (SECA) will contribute to strengthening the role of civil society and media as important actors in promoting transparent, inclusive and accountable electoral processes in Albania.

SECA is supporting civil society and media-led initiatives covering electoral monitoring and democratic governance, civic and voter education, participation and inclusion, disability rights, investigative and public-interest journalism, media monitoring and information integrity.

Together, they address key dimensions of the electoral cycle and will contribute to monitoring electoral integrity and institutional accountability with a focus on electoral reform, campaign finance, the misuse of public resources and the implementation of electoral obligations. Monitoring, research and analysis will generate evidence to inform recommendations and dialogue with electoral administration and other relevant institutions.

These supported initiatives contribute to media and information integrity through media monitoring, evidence-based reporting, factchecking and analysis of challenges such as disinformation, hate speech and emerging forms of AI-assisted manipulation. They will also help strengthen the capacities of journalists and media actors to provide reliable, public-interest information and reporting on electoral matters.

Particular attention will be given to voter education and inclusive participation, with targeted outreach to persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups. Activities will promote accessible voter information, media literacy and opportunities for citizens and communities for meaningful engagement in electoral processes and related public debate.

Across these areas, civil society and media actors will develop and use monitoring tools, research, data, policy briefs, voter education resources and recommendations, translating field evidence into informed public debate and policy dialogue. Particular emphasis will be placed on ensuring that these resources, findings and tools remain useful to all electoral stakeholders in a sustainable way beyond individual activities.

These initiatives are being implemented by the following civil society and media organisations, including their respective partners:

• Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), in partnership with Civic Resistance;
• Albanian Institute for Political Studies (IPS), in partnership with the Women’s Network “Equality in Decision Making” (EDM);
• Gender Alliance for Development Center (GADC);
• Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF);
• Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Albania (BIRN);
• Centre for Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV);
• Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance (CSDG), in partnership with Faktoje.al.

Stay tuned as these initiatives take shape, bringing new tools, evidence and opportunities for engagement throughout Albania’s electoral cycle.