ODIHR to observe local elections in Albania

ODIHR conducted a needs assessment mission to Albania on 17-21 January in order to assess the pre-election environment and preparations for the local elections scheduled for 8 May.

Meetings were held in Tirana with officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Central Election Commission, the Electoral College, and the National Council for Radio and Television, as well as with representatives of political parties, the media, civil society, and the international community.

The mission noted that there is a "high level of polarization and distrust among political parties", that all sides requested the deployment of a full observation mission, and that a number of recommendations from previous observation missions had not yet been implemented. As a result, the mission recommended that ODIHR deploy an election observation mission.