(AGENPARL) – gio 27 ottobre 2022 [Image]
Ref. CG058(2022)
Partial local elections in Albania: Congress welcomes uncontested results and encourages all parties to participate in next years’ general local vote
Strasbourg, 27 October 2022 – At its 43rd Plenary Session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe discussed an information report on partial local elections in Albania held on 6 March 2022 following a hybrid election observation mission carried out on 24 and 25 February and 8 March.
The Congress expressed satisfaction with the orderly and well-administered elections and with the campaign in which pertinent rules were generally respected by all stakeholders. “The Congress delegation strongly welcomed the fact that the election results were accepted by all contestants and were not contested, for the first time in thirty years in Albania”, highlighted the Rapporteur Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG).
However, the Congress report also identified several areas where there is still room for improvement, notably regarding the implementation of previous recommendations by the Venice Commission which remain to be addressed, including measures to depoliticise lower-level election commissions and still existing criminal liability for defamation. The report invites the Albanian authorities to address these long-standing recommendations and increase efforts to promote the participation of women candidates in mayoral elections.
Furthermore, the Rapporteur suggested measures to ensure free conditions for media reporting and safeguards to prevent the misuse of administrative resources, to provide a level playing field for all contestants.
The Rapporteur concluded that he hopes “that positive change achieved during these partial elections will be continued in 2023, such as for instance all parties participating in the elections and the acceptation by all contestants of the final results”.
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Institutional Communication Unit
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states. Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, it brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Leendert Verbeek (Netherlands, SOC/G/PD), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Harald Sonderegger (Austria, EPP/CCE).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
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