Electoral assistance newsroom

Back 35.000 first-time voters benefit from an awareness-raising campaign ahead of the 21 June 2015 local elections in Albania

The awareness-raising campaign included lectures, campaign simulations and mock elections and has been conducted in all high schools in Albania. 385 teachers were trained using a cascade methodology to ensure the proper conduct of the campaign. The Academy of Political Studies of Albania has been responsible for its implementation.

This activity is part of the three-month programme of pre-electoral assistance that the Division of Electoral Assistance of the Council of Europe has implemented all over the country. Following previous recommendations by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE/ODIHR, the programme has focused on the capacity building of the election administration at all levels and on improving the training methodology by the Central Election Commission.

Additional awareness raising campaigns have been organised targeting the general public, including the printing and distribution of banners and leaflets. A TV spot is currently being broadcasted on national TV to inform voters about voting procedures and alert them of illicit practices, such as vote buying.

The activities under the programme have been implemented in close co-operation with the Central Election Commission and the Ministry of Education and Sport of Albania. Following past good experiences by the Division of Electoral Assistance, a post-election Conference will be organised in September with a view to assess the contribution of the programme to the country needs and to identify next steps and future co-operation.