O SEU for Albanian elections: Citizens were pressured by political parties

The director of the ODIHR Mission for Election Observation, Ambassador Audrey Glover is giving a statement on the preliminary report and will then respond to media interest.

Given that for the first time in pluralistic Albania, the opposition coalition did not participate in the elections, attention to the first findings of the ODIHR mission is added.

O Ambassador SBE/ ODIHR, Audrey Glover: “We are here without any predetermined ideas and no hidden agenda. We are impartial and let the facts speak. We don't care who wins the elections and we value them on the basis of compliance with O The SEU and national and international estimates.

The June 30th local elections were held regardless of the electorate's interest. The opposition decided not to participate in the elections, while the government was set to hold these elections without the opposition. In this climate of a political stalemate, voters did not have the opportunity to choose between different options. In 31 municipalities from 61 candidates were alone in the race. There were credible claims by citizens that they were under expectations from both sides. Political clashes led to judicial uncertainty.

What was positive is that the vote was conducted peacefully. It was elections in order for voters to elect mayors and municipal councils and took place in an extremely polarised environment. The opposition withdrew from Parliament in February and did not participate in the election with the intention of ousting the prime minister. The president made a statement and urged the postponement of the elections. However, the prime minister continued elections with the support of Parliament, and the CEC continued with the preparation of the <x0 elections. /abcnews. al