TIRANA, Aug 10 – Nearly two months after Albanians went to the polls, the head of the Central Election Commission, Lefterie Luzi, has declared the entire electoral process over, releasing its final results on the June 21 local administrative elections.
At a press conference, Luzi called the local elections “free, fair, transparent and inclusive.”
In a meeting on Monday, CEC approved the very final results of the local elections of June 21.
The latest CEC data shows 15 political parties should receive additional funding from the commission while 46 parties must reimburse CEC for funding they received. The public funding amount is based on the number of votes received at the national level.
In a press statement after the CEC meeting, Luzi said CEC and other election officials worked hard to ensure a successful electoral process.
She added the challenge had been particularly hard because these latest local elections were conducted according to the new administrative and territorial division reform and the amendments to the Electoral Code, adopted shortly before the election was to take place.
“The CEC managed to create the required electoral and functional infrastructure to ensure full integrity of a fair, free and independent electoral process,” Luzi said.
The main results were known within a couple of days of the elections. Albania’s ruling Socialist-led coalition won 45 out of 61 mayoral races and the majority of seats in municipal councils across the country. The main opposition Democratic Party and its allies won in 15 municipalities. An independent party won in an ethnic minority municipality.