TIRANA, Nov 21 /ATA/ With the 2025 parliamentary elections approaching, it is still unclear which districts will implement electronic voting and counting.
The State Election Commissioner, Ilirjan Celibashi, said in a press conference that it is impossible for this process to be extended to three districts—Tirana, Durrës, and Elbasan—despite the request of political parties.
Regarding the concerns raised by the Democratic Party about electronic voting, Celibashi stated that the electronic voting machines are 100% secure.
“We have long sent a request to all political parties asking them to express interest in electronic voting. Everyone knows that we proposed it to be applied in 5 districts. In our last communication, we proposed the districts of Elbasan and Durrës for electronic voting, considering that Elbasan has experience, and Durrës is quite close to Tirana, making it easier for the CEC to manage the process. We have received responses from the parties, and all of them, without exception, recommend adding Tirana. Some have suggested only Tirana, not just the Socialist Party. Almost all of them. Except for the Democratic Party, which does not consider any electoral unit for electronic voting. Almost all have requested that Tirana be included as well. It is impossible to have three districts. We have reasoned that either we will choose two districts the size of Tirana, or we will have to choose only Tirana,” said Celibashi.
“We have carefully considered all the Democratic Party’s feedback about electronic voting. One of their issues remains relevant, regarding the conduct of certain operators at the voting centers. We are currently carrying out an administrative probe, which will be completed next week, to clarify what occurred with this group of operators. The electronic voting and counting machines remain sealed, awaiting anyone who wishes to perform checks. We have made it clear that anyone who wants to double check the equipment is welcome to do so. The electronic voting machines are 100% secure and provide complete guarantees for the confidentiality of the vote,” Celibashi stated.
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