Parliamentary Elections, 23 June 2013

Press Conference

Following an official invitation from the Permanent Mission of Albania to the OSCE and based on the findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission, the OSCE/ODIHR is deploying an election observation mission (EOM) to observe the 23 June 2013 parliamentary elections.

Long-term Observation

The OSCE/ODIHR EOM, headed by Conny B. McCormack, begins its work on 13 May. The EOM has a core team of 15 international staff drawn from 14 OSCE participating States based in the head office in Tirana. Thirty long-term observers are expected to arrive in the country by 19 May and will be deployed in teams of two throughout the regions.

The mission will assess the elections for compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. Observers will follow campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, the introduction of new election technologies, implementation of the legislative framework, and the resolution of election disputes. As part of the observation, the EOM will conduct comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Election Day

The OSCE/ODIHR will request 400 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 23 June elections. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, counting of ballots, and tabulation of results.

The day after the elections, the OSCE/ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.

Previous Elections

ODIHR has observed nine elections and one referendum in Albania since 1996, most recently the 2011 local elections.