Local Elections, 1 and 15 October 2000

Following an invitation from the Albanian Government, ODIHR deployed an election observation mission on 25 August to monitor the local elections on 1 October.

Headed by Eugenio Polizzi of Italy, the mission included a core team of eight experts, as well as  11 long-term
observers who were deployed throughout the country to follow the election campaign and the administrative
preparation.

On 1 October, the mission deployed 251 short-term observers from 26 OSCE participating States to follow proceedings on election day.

According to the mission's final report: "The 1 and 15 October 2000 local government elections in Albania marked significant progress towards meeting the standards for democratic elections formulated in the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document. In contrast with previous occasions, these elections took place in a tense but remarkably peaceful atmosphere, with only a few isolated incidents of violence reported during the campaign and election days. This was a reflection of restraint exercised by political parties and important measures undertaken by the Government to improve public order."