At its 45th Plenary Session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a report on the local elections held in Albania held on 14 May 2023. On election day, ten Congress teams visited over 110 polling stations in different regions of Albania.
The Congress welcomed the participation of the opposition parties in these elections and the overall calm and orderly election day in which procedures were mostly followed despite some procedural and technical inconsistencies. "The 2023 elections constituted an important test for the rule of law and the ability of all stakeholders to implement electoral standards. In particular, the 2020 amendments to the Electoral Code contributed to a more professional and transparent election administration" stressed rapporteur Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG).
In addition, the Congress assessed mostly positively the deployment of e-voting devices in three municipalities, which constituted a specificity of the electoral system in Albania but recommended more awareness raising especially for voters requiring assistance.
The Congress regretted the polarised political climate and a campaign almost entirely carried out at national level between the leaders of the main political parties. It recommended to also address longstanding recommendations including on independent candidates, voters living de facto abroad, oversight of party and campaign finance and accessibility of polling stations.
Furthermore, "Considering the stagnant number of women elected mayors, the delegation recommends introducing incentive measures to strengthen their participation at local level", the Rapporteur concluded.
Speech by Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG)
****
45th Session
Agenda – Web file – Multimedia (Live webcasts, interviews, videos and photo)
