Support to the Electoral Cycle in Albania

Back New EU – Council of Europe action to strengthen electoral cycle in Albania, launched in Tirana

Jutbina HOXHA

Modified 6 Months ago.

New EU – Council of Europe action to strengthen electoral cycle in Albania, launched in Tirana

The Council of Europe has officially launched the new action Support to the Electoral Cycle in Albania (SECA), co-funded by the European Union.

The launch event, organised in co-operation with the State Election Commissioner, brought together senior representatives of public institutions, diplomatic corps, international organisations, experts, civil society and the media. They provided valuable discussions on key challenges affecting the electoral process and reaffirmed their joint commitment to inclusive, credible and transparent elections.

The event featured interventions by H.E. Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, Head of the European Union Delegation to Albania; Ilirjan Celibashi, State Election Commissioner; Liri Kopaçi-Di Michele, Head of the Parliamentary and Electoral Co-operation Division at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Giulia Re, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana. Key messages underlined that Albania’s upcoming electoral reform is a crucial opportunity to strengthen the professionalism, impartiality, and sustainability of election administration – an essential process for advancing the country’s European integration path.

The SECA action focuses on enhancing the independence and institutional capacity of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and promoting inclusive participation of civil society and media organisations in the electoral processes. The initiative is aiming at embedding sustainable practices in electoral administration and strengthening the professionalism and impartiality of electoral management. By establishing a structured policy dialogue between the CEC and civil society organisations, SECA seeks to boost public confidence in Albania’s electoral process, its institutions and their legitimacy.

Co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, the SECA action is implemented by the Council of Europe, with its Parliamentary Assembly overseeing its implementation. The action will run for 36 months, from July 2025 to July 2028.

Tirana, Albania 13 November 2025

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The “Support to the Electoral Cycle in Albania” action aims to support a democratic, transparent, and inclusive election process in Albania. The action focuses on strengthening the independence and institutional capacity of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and fostering inclusive participation of civil society and media organisations in the electoral processes, aiming at embedding sustainable practices in electoral administration. Enhancing the professionalism and impartiality of the electoral administration, as well as establishing a structured policy dialogue between the CEC and civil society organizations (CSOs), would lead to increased public confidence in the electoral process, institutions and their legitimacy. The proposed interventions are fully in line with the strategic priorities of the CEC (2022-2026) and build on previous electoral assistance initiatives and expertise of the Council of Europe. The joint action is co-funded by the European Union under the framework of the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) III - Action ‘EU for Democracy’ to contribute to inclusive democracy in Albania in the context of EU accession.

What are the objectives of the action?

Reinforce the democratic and independent functioning of the CEC and to sustain election administration reforms and processes in line with European Union and international standards;
Enhance the participation and facilitate the contribution of the civil society and media organisations in the decision-making process;
Reinforce public trust in elections and promote informed, democratic participation.

Who benefits from the action?

Central Election Commission in Albania;
Members of the election administration;
Civil society organizations;
Media organizations /journalists;
Youth, young and first-time voters, women, national minorities, people with special needs and other vulnerable groups;
Citizens of Albania.

What are the action main activities?

The action will particularly contribute to further guarantee the free and fair election processes by:

Supporting the establishment of an independent and professional Continuous Training and Education Centre (CTEC) for election administration, along with relevant capacities and tools.
Improving transparency of political party financing and prevention of misuse of state resources by strengthening the CEC’s oversight capacity and mechanisms.
Strengthening the CEC’s ICT regulatory framework and safeguards.
Improving voters’ education and inclusive participation in elections.
Institutionalising and strengthening the policy dialogue between the CEC, CSOs and media organisations.
Enhancing the capacities of CSOs and media organisations to effectively engage in policymaking, reporting, and monitoring.

What do we expect to achieve?

Strengthened CEC institutional capacity and democratic governance;
Increased civil society and media participation in election oversight and policymaking.
Improved public trust in electoral processes and institutions.
More balanced media coverage and informed voter choices.

How does the action work?

Through a combination of tailored capacity development activities, creation of new training and education methodologies, training of trainers, development of e-learning modules.
Support through grants, ICT tools, research/policy review, awareness raising activities, networking and peer-to-peer exchanges.