TIRANA, June 26 – The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe announced on Wednesday it has decided not to deploy a delegation to observe elections to Albania due to the uncertainty surrounding the date.
“The leadership of the Congress (the President in consultation with the two Presidents of the Chambers, in accordance with Congress rules) has decided not to deploy a Congress Election Observation Delegation to Albania due to the continued uncertainty concerning the organisation of the local elections in Albania on 30 June and possible security risks in certain deployment areas,” the announcement said.
The congress also notified of a meeting soon in Tirana, also possibly related to the elections’ situation.
Albania’s Electoral College supported on Monday the Central Election Commission’s (CEC), which decided the decree of President Ilir Meta cancelling June 30 as the local elections date is invalid and continued with the process preparation.
The college was involved by the National Unity Party (PUK), as it asked to be removed from running in the elections per Meta’s cancelation decree, but the CEC rejected its request.
President Ilir Meta issued a statement in response to the Electoral College backing up the Central Elections Commission decision not to deregister the PUK from the June 30 local elections, a “no effect” decision.
On Sunday, Meta issued another statement, calling the parliament’s start of procedures to dismiss him from office after he signed the decree a “fake process, blindly oriented politically.”
The arguments on whether elections will be held on June 30 and Meta will keep his office began when Meta issued the decree canceling the elections, to which the Socialist majority responded by starting procedures to dismiss him from office, although the country is currently lacking a functional Constitutional Court.
