TIRANA, May 29 – The use of technology in the voting process sparked debate between government and the opposition officials during discussions on the electoral reform.
During the meeting held on Thursday, opposition members expressed disappointment the government’s reluctance on the matter. “Unfortunately, today it became clear that the majority is not ready to move in this direction to introduce bio metric identification in all polling stations, to ensure that ballot boxes will not be filled, that family voting will not happen, that commissioners will not fill the boxes at the end of the process with those who did not come to vote or voting with fake ID cards,” Bylykbashi said according to whom there should also be a pilot process for electronic voting and counting of votes.
However, deputy Damian Gjiknuri said that there has been agreement on the use of technology but “today we are making the provisions of the Electoral Code, which gives the CEC attribute to start implementing this system and the commitment of the Council of Ministers to provide financial support. The problem is how much we can lay it out. ODIHR says caution should be exercised and that the use of technology should be done step by step. We agree on the technology, but the elections cannot be questioned if the technology does not work.”
Despite these differences, US Ambassador Yuri Kim expressed optimisim on the matter. Following the meeting of the Political Council, she wrote that it is “good to hear that the Political Council on Electoral Reform is making more progress. I have met all the members and I believe they will make wise decisions. Thank you for putting Albania’s future first.” While the time to complete the reform is nearing, the international community’s commitment to advancing the process has intensified. European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Harvelyi spoke with opposition leader Lulzim Basha on Thursday and welcomed the “resumption of cross-party work on the Electoral Reform in the Political Council. He added that “it is crucial for Albania and its path to the EU that this important reform is concluded without further delay, in line with March’s General Affairs Council’s conclusions.”
Opposition recently returned to the dialogue on electoral reform, and Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha stated that they are determined to the completion of the reform by the end of this week.
