Strasbourg, 05.06.2009 – A pre-electoral delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) visited Tirana on the eve of the parliamentary elections of 28 June 2009.
The delegation stresses that the authorities have the responsibility to take all necessary measures to provide each voter with a new ID card in order to ensure that all voters will be able to fulfil their constitutional right on 28 June. The issues relating to the identity card must be resolved in a fully transparent manner to secure public confidence, as well as the confidence of all political parties, in the democratic electoral process in Albania.
The delegation notes that the significantly improved Electoral Code, adopted in December 2008, could have a positive impact on the conduct of the democratic electoral process. However, the implementation of the Code in good faith also requires the commitment by the main political parties to respect the Code.
The pre-electoral delegation stresses the need for impartial, balanced media coverage, in particular by the Public Broadcaster (RTSH), which should be free from political influence. The delegation welcomes the pluralism of opinions in the print media, but is preoccupied by the problem of equal access for all political parties to the broadcast media.
The delegation considers that the parliamentary elections of 28 June 2009 will be a test of the maturity of democracy in Albania. In this regard, it calls on the authorities of Albania to fully implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary Assembly contained in its Resolution 1538 (2007).
The delegation stresses that democratic elections are not limited only to voting day. The authorities of the country and all political actors have the responsibility to ensure the necessary conditions for the free expression of the will of all citizens of the Republic of Albania. The delegation expects, and will closely monitor, that the authorities will guarantee the democratic character of these elections as promised.
The pre-election delegation met the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, the Speaker of the Parliament, Jozefina Topalli, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lulezim Basha, the Minister of Interior,Bujar Nishani,the members of the Albanian delegation to PACE, Chairperson and members of the Central Electoral Commission, leaders of political parties participating in these elections, representatives of the mass media, civil society and the international community.
The Parliamentary Assembly will send a 20-member delegation to observe the parliamentary elections on 28 June 2009.
Members of the pre-electoral delegation:
Corien Jonker (the Netherlands, EPP/CD), Head of the delegation
Indrek Saar (Estonia, SOC)
Ganira Pashayeva (Azerbaijan, EDG)
Andrej Zernovski (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, ALDE)
