ODIHR says pre-election situation calm

TIRANA, June 19 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ Election Observation Mission issued its third interim report covering the beginning of June and the last one ahead of the June 28 parliamentary elections.
The report said that the campaign environment has mostly remained calm, though noted a rise in tension in some areas. Controversy has particularly revolved around the placement of posters and banners, as well as campaign stands and tents. A Democratic Party (DP) activist was killed by a Socialist Party (SP) activist on 12 June in a dispute over the placement of posters; both sides made statements calling for calm.
The ODIHR also criticized the fact that the Government had continued to use official events for campaign purposes. In some cases confirmed by OSCE/ODIHR long-term observers, schools were closed so that pupils could attend such events. The OSCE/ODIHR EOM continues to receive allegations of pressure on public-sector workers, it said.
It also noted problems with the local authorities in the preparation of the elections.
The Final Voter List includes 3,084,067 citizens. The SP has publicly contested its accuracy stating that it contains various types of errors.
On the distribution of the IDs the report said it was continuing to receive reports of technical and organizational failures and the opposition Socialists were claiming selective application of the application process and of subsidies for obtaining ID cards, to the disadvantage of its supporters.
Regarding the media, it said that the coverage seemed to be equal (in two of the five TV channels monitored) but often broadcasters continued “to show bias in terms of the quality (tone) of the coverage.”