Council of Albanian Ambassadors on the 11 May 2025 parliamentary elections and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Final Report.
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors (CAA) welcomes the publication of the final report by the OSCE/ODIHR on Albania’s 11 May 2025 parliamentary elections. Thanking the mission’s careful observations, the CAA fully shares its concerns on multiple systemic issues that, in our view, fall short of the electoral standards expected of countries seeking to join the EU.
The report documented unequal conditions and unfair playing field; misuse of state resources; pressure on public sector and voters; multiple allegations of vote buying or clientelist practices, practices that undermine public trust and raise questions about equal access and integrity of electoral competition.
Legal framework deficiencies, lack of accountability and transparency; the media did not allow a genuine exchange of ideas and was characterized by self-censorship and limited pluralism; lack of secrecy of the ballot, group voting and procedural infractions, etc.
As it was also highlight in the Report, for an EU path, Albania must ensure that the rule of law, accountability and transparency are not only enshrined on paper but also operational in practice.
In this perspective, the Council of Albanian Ambassadors estimates that more important and valuable than undertaking another comprehensive electoral reform would be the commitment and will of the political class to implement the existing laws in spirit and in letter.
Actions and efforts to alter the political will of citizens are extremely difficult to address with reform after reform. The perspective and progress towards the EU would be the right lever to exert the necessary pressure on the political class to respect the will of citizens in the elections and to have the standards required for a country that will adhere to the European family of values.
