By Alexander Arvizu
We have a very simple purpose this morning and that is to explain what the United States is doing to support the June parliamentary elections. A successful election is absolutely critical to Albania’s democratic development and its deeper integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. Both of these are at the core of U.S. policy toward the Western Balkans and toward Albania specifically.
For the elections to be successful, Albanian voters must take an active and constructive interest in the electoral process. In addition, the political parties, the Government of Albania and other institutional stakeholders – and here I include specifically the courts — all must commit to supporting free, fair and transparent results.
This is what Secretary Clinton said to the deputies in her November 2012 remarks to Parliament, “Ensure that your upcoming elections are free and fair and seen as such by the entire world. That is first and foremost so that the people of Albania can have faith in the results and trust in you as their leaders.”
Clearly, whether the June 23 elections are successful will depend on you: the Albanian people and your leaders.
An acceptable outcome will result only through cooperation and inclusivity.
Inclusivity is the key term and I think people need to pay more attention to that. The political parties have a critical role to build confidence in the democratic institutions and the process.
In addition, the government has the obligation to conduct elections in a transparent manner that is consistent with the Albanian Constitution, the Electoral Code, and other relevant laws. The government has pledged to make the June 23 Parliamentary elections the most free and fair in Albania’s history. This is a noble goal. It is achievable, and we encourage the government to do everything it can to make this happen.
If the elections are conducted in a manner that is open and transparent – that is with compromise and inclusivity — then it will be possible to raise the Albanian citizens’ confidence in the integrity of the process and, by definition, the outcome.
While the responsibility for the elections rests properly with the Albanians, the United States, together with Albania’s friends and partners in the international community, stands ready to assist.
When Secretary of State Clinton visited Albania, she spoke about the importance of a strong and fair electoral process for Albania’s future and she pledged concrete U.S. support for the electoral process.
I am here this morning to inform you that we intend to make good on that promise. Our assistance will be over USD one million and will focus on three key areas:
Number one: providing technical assistance to the Central Election Commission (CEC); number two: promoting domestic election observation; number three: encouraging direct citizen engagement in the electoral process.
Let me address each section briefly.
First, the administration and organization of elections is intense and complex work. Those of us on the outside should not underestimate the difficulties and pressures you face every day.
To assist, the United States is providing the latest technical assistance to the Central Election Commission, in particular focusing on Information Technology (IT) to improve the technological capacities of the CEC for these and future elections. With better IT systems in place, we can expect a more efficient and transparent reporting of elections results.
Second, as we all know, throughout the world, domestic election observation is a critical and necessary component of transparency and an independent check on electoral processes. I am pleased to announce that we will be supporting, once again, the Coalition of Domestic Observers in their efforts.
The Coalition has extensive technical experience and is continually improving its methodology to stay ahead of cutting-edge technology in the course of its work. We believe they will conduct a credible observation and reporting effort.
I would encourage media representatives to reach out to the Coalition as they report on electoral issues, before, during and after Election Day itself. I would add that the responsible participation of the media in the electoral process is also key in any functioning democracy. The media should be free from pressure and it should be free from undue influences.
Third, we have the Civil Society –
Civil society organizations also play a critical role in the electoral process, by encouraging discussion of important issues that matter to Albanian citizens, by supporting active participation in the electoral process among all eligible voters, and by observing and reporting on the electoral process itself.
I cannot underscore enough the impact that citizens, both through their participation in civil society and through their own responsible decisions, can have on the quality of elections.
I want to express my admiration and support for the representatives of the civil society groups here today. Albania’s democracy will be strengthened as a result of your active engagement and your hard work.
We all know that while elections are a process, they center on choices made by individual voters. Critical to the democratic process is the ability of citizens to make informed choices, which can happen only if they posses concrete knowledge of the various party platforms.
I am happy to announce that we are working closely with representatives from the Youth Forums of five political parties to hold a series of three, issue-based debates that are designed to focus on substantive policy platforms, not on the empty rhetoric and personal attacks that are all too common in Albanian political exchanges and discussions.
The United States, to state the obvious, is a friend and ally of Albania. We care deeply about Albania’s future and the strengthening of its democratic core, which rests heavily on improvements in the conduct and execution of the election process.
We are proud to support the hard work of all those represented here today. We believe strongly that all of you can make a difference and that you can help make Albania’s 2013 parliamentary elections successful. Don’t squander this opportunity. Just make it happen. Just make it happen.
As your dedicated partner, and in tandem with all of your friends in the international community, we wish you all success in your endeavors to make this a truly successful election — one where the voice of the people is clearly heard, and where the results are accepted by everyone.
Just make it happen.
This is an abbreviated version of the speech U.S. Ambassador to Tirana Alexander Arvizu held on March 28 at the launch of the U.S. Government’s support for Albania’s elections
