Improvements but still violations, say International observers

TIRANA, June 29 – Albania is under international pressure to make sure the vote was fair and free of reports of fraud that have marred previous elections. Albania joined NATO on April 1 and wants to join the 27-nation European Union.
About 500 international observers and about 3,000 local officials were monitoring the vote, and 5,500 police officers were deployed to ensure security.
The joint mission of the OSCE/ODIHR, Council of Europe, European Parliament and NATO Assembly presented their preliminary assessment Monday.
Despite violations, the elections demonstrated a marked improvement over past votes, international monitors said yesterday. The International Election Observation Mission noted violations but still commended “demonstrated improvements” in a statement it issued yesterday.
International observers say that despite improvement Albania has not complied with international standards in its parliamentary elections due to the politicization of the process and the political mistrust between opponents.
The politicization of the process and violations during the campaign undermined public confidence, according to representatives of a 500-member team of observers Monday.
In a statement issued Monday, the International Election Observation Mission concluded that Albania’s election process demonstrated improvements, but also noted that violations persist.
Observers said the election marked tangible progress with regard to the introduction of new voter registration and identification procedures, and the adoption of an improved legal framework.
But observers also noted that these improvements were overshadowed by the politicization of technical aspects of the process and violations observed during the campaign which undermined public confidence in the electoral process.
Election Day was calm and peaceful overall with an improved atmosphere. Observers assessed the voting process slightly more positively than in previous elections, but noted procedural violations related in particular to inking procedures and widespread family voting.
The mission said it was too early to make a definite assessment, as the vote count and tabulation of results had yet to be completed.
“The country has matured, it has made progress, and many of the fears we had only some months ago have not materialized. I’m certainly happy about the progress we saw, but there are also a considerable number of issues that need to be tackled, in particular the polarized political climate,” said Wolfgang Grossruck, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-coordinator of the OSCE short-term observer mission.
“These elections demonstrated that the Albanian people have the potential for building a democratic society as that in any other European country. Now there is a huge responsibility for the authorities and main political stakeholders to work hard in order to establish confidence among the citizens for a democratic electoral process,” said Corien Jonker, Head of the delegation of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.
“Our report reveals positive but also some negative developments in the conduct of the elections. Progress has been achieved since the last parliamentary elections in 2005. However, greater efforts still need to be made by all political forces in order to meet demanding international standards,” said Bruce George, Head of the delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
“The new electoral code agreed to by both main political parties introduced a number of important improvements and safeguards, in particular with regard to voter registration and identification. It is unfortunate that the high level of distrust among parties, the use of official events for campaign purposes and allegations of pressure on voters did nothing but decrease public confidence in the election process,” said Ambassador Audrey Glover, head of the long-term election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR).
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has noted in a statement that, “ƴangible progress has been made in some areas.
“However, these improvements were overshadowed by the politicization of technical aspects of the election process as well by violence during the election campaign,” he said.
Rehn also warned that a final definite assessment of the elections could not be given before the vote counting and tabulation is completed.
“However, these elections clearly underline the need for the Albanian political leadership, across party lines, to work hard in order to conduct elections in the future which fully meet international standards and have high public confidence of the Albanian voters,” Rehn said.
The cabinet of the EU’s High representative for common foreign policy and security, Javier Solana, has also welcomed the “overall improvement” achieved in Sunday’s elections.
“We congratulate the population of Albania [on] their collective commitment to a future built on free, fair and transparent elections,” Solana’s spokesperson Cristina Gallach said. “While awaiting the final result of yesterday’s elections, we encourage all parties to reaffirm their commitment to the necessary reforms, including sufficient administrative capacity to ensure the implementation of those reforms,” she added.
The overall electoral process in Albania is a crucial test for the country’s further European integration.
The Albanian government submitted its application for EU candidate status in April last year, despite warning from Europeans, including Rehn himself, not to undertake the move before the elections.
Though Sunday’s vote was largely calm and peaceful, Albania’s electoral past has been marred by fraud and violence.
After the application was submitted in April, European decision-makers stated that they would not consider it until after the elections.
U.S. Ambassador John Withers also congratulated the people of Albania on Sunday’s Parliamentary vote that, overall, was well-regulated and calm.
“We now await the completion of the vote count and the official tabulation of the results in the same orderly manner,” he said.
He also said, “The International Election Monitoring Mission has produced a thoughtful and objective preliminary report that characterizes these elections as an improvement over past practices, but that also expresses concern over remaining flaws in the process. I concur with these findings and urge the Albanian authorities to build on [Sunday’s] success to meet higher, more demanding international standards on future occasions.”