New parliamentary elections expected to cost less than former ones.

The parliamentary elections of 28 June 2009 will cost nearly 715 million leke (around 7.15 million US dollars or 5.5 million Euros). According to the local media (issued or broadcasted on the 17.03.2009), the Central Electoral Committee has approved the cost. This is reported to be almost 200 million leke (around 2 million US dollars or 1.5 million Euros) less than the initially approved budget in the former elections. The main reasons forwarded are an overall reduced number of controllers and reutilization of compliances from former elections. Some other newspapers speak of an increased number of helpers (Gazeta Shqiptare, 17.03.2009). The final budget of the former elections is reported bigger than the initially approved budget (reaching nearly 1100 million leke) and a similar extension effect is foreseen as possible for the upcoming elections.
As reported in the Albanian press (Gazeta Shqiptare, 17.03.2009), the elections in Macedonia are expected to cost 4 million Euros. But since it is not made clear whether this cost is calculated for the same stock of expenditure or for comparable administrative organization and economic data, the comparison might be out of range as well as out of scope, though there are certain resembling points between the two countries. Macedonia spreads over nearly 25000 square kilometers while Albania is close to 28000 square kilometers. But neighboring Macedonia has about 2 million inhabitants, while Albania more than 3 million.
More than 3.2 million polling leafs are commissioned to be issued, for the Albanian parliamentary elections of 28 June 2009, while last year estimates think the number of Albanians to be slightly more than 3.6 million (CIA World Fact Book), and slightly less than 3.2 million (INSTAT – National Institute of Statistics of Albania). The number of migrant workers in neighboring or far-away countries who are willing or are able to vote is expected to swell to an immeasurable extent, the number of voters for the upcoming parliamentary elections.