Electoral College steps in to certify by approving distribution of MP seats

Before the Central Election Commission issued its final results, Albania’s Electoral College stepped in to approve the distribution of seats in the Albanian parliament based on the results CEC would later also certify.
The college, a judicial body that handles election-related appeals, took action at the request of the Socialist Party, after the Central Election Commission admitted in could not certify the results of the June 23 elections because it lacked the needed quorum.
The decision of the commission, as expected, was conditioned by the absence of three members who resigned after a political row. At least five members are needed for the necessary quorum needed to certify the elections.
The Electoral College made 12 separate rulings late Friday, certifying final results for each electoral district and naming the MPs that will serve in the Albania’s next parliament.
The judges’ rulings finally close the post-election process, with the results remaining at 83 MP seat for the winning Socialist-led coalition and 57 for the new Democratic Party-led opposition. Legal representatives of the Democratic Party expressed concern about how the certification was handled, saying the judges had come under political pressure from the new ruling coalition to speed up process at the cost of full transparency. Socialist lawyers responded by saying the Democrats were trying to delay the certification of the results by drawing out the process.