According to data published by the CEC, the emigrants have been received 227,097 envelopes, while 18,838 envelopes containing ballots have not yet been withdrawn by voters.

The emigrants from Italy have sent back 71,180 envelopes with ballot papers while those in Greece 44,315.

Any vote that arrives in Albania on May 11, after 7:00 PM, will be considered invalid.

The designated place for the administration of this process is the “Feti Borova” Sports Palace, near Tirana Olympic Park. /a.g/p.s./

Official data revealed by CEC show that a total of 241 772 envelopes have been sent and 120 408 have been already received by the Albanian expats registered to vote in the next month’s parliamentary elections in the country. In the meantime, a total of 8 637 of envelopes containing their ballot papers have been already sent back to CEC to date.

A total of 245 935 ballot papers will be sent to Albanian citizens in 85 countries across the world.

According to CEC, a total of 89 774 envelopes have been sent to Albanian expats in Italy, 67 185 in Greece, 25 075 in Germany, 20 289 in the United States of America, and 16 918 envelopes to Albanian voters in Great Britain.

Once received, voters must complete the ballot and send it back using the same postal company. The final deadline for ballots to arrive in Albania is 7:00 p.m. on May 11. Any envelope that arrives after this time, regardless of when it was sent, will not be counted.

The process is being closely monitored to ensure transparency and security, especially given the logistical complexity of overseas voting. This is the first time Albanian citizens abroad are participating in national elections through postal voting at this scale.

/j.p/u.sh/

During November, when Albania has some public holidays, there was recorded the highest flow of Albanian citizens traveling abroad.

According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) today, in November 2024, 629,845 Albanian citizens departed from Albania, marking an increase of 13.5%, compared to November 2023.

According to the data, the number of Albanian citizens who went on holiday abroad was higher than that of foreign citizens who came in our country.

Statistics show that the number of foreign citizens who came to Albania is 604,332. This number has increased by 10.4%, compared to the same period in 2023.

The Bank of Albania said that the foreigners spent almost 4 billion euros in our country during the 9-month period from January to September.

Meanwhile, according to estimates, Albanian citizens spent 2 billion euros on their trips abroad during the January-September period of the current year.

The main destinations of Albanian citizens are Italy and Germany, which are also linked to the high number of Albanian emigrants in these countries. Meanwhile, there is also a growing number of Albanian travelers to Turkey, Prague, France, or Spain. /a.f/p.s./

Speaking to the Parliamentary Special Committee on Disinformation, Interior Minister underlined that the Civil Registry General Directorate should deliver on important issues ahead of the heneral elections.

With the 2025 elections approaching, the Interior Ministry is updating voter registration processes, particularly for Albanians living abroad, to streamline identification and voting.

Hoxha said that the Ministry of Interior has embarked on improving all the mechanisms that help voters outside the country to renew their identification documents.

Interior Minister also said that work is underway to revise laws on disinformation, aligning with European standards to combat new digital threats.

/u.sh/

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Arben Kingji was also present at the meeting.

The president wished them the best on the new year and congratulated them for the responsible and devoted performance of all commitments undertaken to maintain security and peace in the world.

President Begaj praised the military for promoting the name of Albania and Albanians.

“Thanks to your work,” said the president, our country is considered a very important partner of the NATO and the request to increase Albania’s contribution to the Alliance is a sign of appreciation for the professionalism of the Armed Forces.

The president expressed his maximum support to the military, calling them “the greatest contribution of Albanians in the world”.

Also present in this conversation with the President of the Republic were representatives of the Armed Forces serving in the region, but also beyond, such as: Latvia, Iraq, Sinai, South Sudan and the Aegean Sea. The latter conducted the online conversation with the president while they were on a mission patrolling the Aegean waters.

They conveyed to President Begaj the information regarding the engagement in the missions where they serve, reported the successful fulfillment of assigned duties and exchanged greetings for the new year. /p.s./

Data from the Albanian Financial Supervisory Authority (AFSA), the value of damages under the compulsory motor insurance Green Card product rose 174% year-on-year in the first two months of 2023.

Albanian citizens travel abroad mostly by land and this fact is also reflected in the growing insurance premium for the Green Card. Last year, the gross written premiums for this product increased by 38% compared to 2021, while the upward trend in gross written premiums continued in the first two months of this year, rising 14.6% compared to the same period a year ago.

The Green Card product or the International Motor Insurance Certificate guarantees the Civil Liability insurance cover for third parties, in all member countries part of the Green Card system.

/r.e/u.sh/

Under the negotiated agreement, an application office will initially be opened at the Albanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Two months after the opening of this point, it is planned to open application offices in several other embassies, namely in China (Beijing); Canada (Ottawa); Australia (Canberra); Brazil (Brazil) and Romania (Bucharest).

There are currently 14 application offices for Albanian citizens in embassies and consulates, mainly in the countries of the region, the EU and the USA.

Now with the opening of new offices, the coverage radius of the places where you can apply for biometric documents will increase geographically, without the need to undertake a trip to Albania.

This decision was taken after an inter-institutional communication between the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the concessionaire, in order to facilitate services for our citizens abroad. /j.p/p.s./

According to the Directorate, the correct declaration avoids the penalties provided by the tax legislation in force.

In the framework of the Automatic Exchange of Information, on a reciprocal basis, with the counterpart tax administrations of other countries, the Albanian Tax Administration will receive and cross-reference the data on the financial accounts of Albanian citizens (non-residents) in these countries.

The declaration of income, in addition to being a legal obligation, of every individual subject to the declaration, is also a guarantee, regarding the justification of his wealth”- it is said in the notification of the Tax Office./p.s./