TIRANA, July 26/ATA/ The IEOM did not observe election day and counting proceedings in a systematic and comprehensive manner. In most voting centres (VCs) visited, the voting process was overall calm. The CEC announced voter turnout at 46.3 per cent.
As in the previous elections, credible allegations of vote-buying were present during and after the campaign, and investigations were initiated in number of cases. Such allegations were not limited to any one party. The DP, the most vocal against vote-buying activities, adopted potentially illegal interventionist methods to “protect the vote”, self-justified in public statements. Police commanders met by the ODIHR LEOM emphasised that nobody has the right to set up parallel structures to the police.
Law enforcement agencies should intensify efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute cases of vote-buying. Citizens should be encouraged to report and provide evidence of any vote-buying or pressure.
In March 2020, upon the positive recommendation of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union opened accession negotiations with Albania. As part of this process further conditional requirements were set, inter alia, additional institutional reform and the implementation of ODIHR election-related recommendations. In June 2020, the SP and the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition parties reached a breakthrough political agreement on electoral reform. This brought the opposition parties back into the political process.
President Meta, formerly the chairperson of the SMI, exhibited a strained public relationship with Prime Minister Rama and took election related initiatives and publicly criticised the government in strong terms. On 9 June 2021, the parliament, by overwhelming majority, voted to impeach President Meta, among other reasons referring to his undue involvement into the 2021 elections. This decision is subject to confirmation by the Constitutional Court.
In the outgoing parliament, women were underrepresented with 26 per cent of seats (36 MPs); however, in the government they held more than half of ministerial posts.9 In a positive development, women received 48 seats (34 per cent) in the new parliament.
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