ODIHR report notes tense political climate

TIRANA, April 4 – The latest report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on the June 23 parliamentary elections says they will take place in the context of a tense political environment dominated by the two large political parties, the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party.
“Interlocutors characterized the political environment as tense, largely due to longstanding conflicts between the two parties, and expressed concern that this may negatively impact on the conduct of the elections,” the report notes.
The upcoming elections will be conducted under an amended legal framework, which was adopted by parliament with broad support in 2012, it notes. The amendments are extensive and address many previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.
The report notes that there is concern about lack of bipartisan consensus would likely lead to further politicization of the CEC. The issue related to seat distribution was referred to parliament, which decided to retain the same seat distribution as in the 2009 elections.
The report also raised concern about the media outlets that operate throughout Albania with broadcast media serving as the primary sources of political information. It said many of the people the mission spoke to characterize the media environment as polarized and aligned along political interests. Media coverage of the campaign is regulated under the Electoral Code, which stipulates requirements for news coverage, free airtime, and advertisements. Media coverage of parties is determined by their parliamentary representation.