The Diaspora Organization for a Free Albania (DSHL) has urged Albania’s three main political parties, SP, PD, and LSI, to guarantee the right of immigrants to vote from abroad.
The DSHL letter states that the three parties have so far remained silent regarding the immigrants’ vote, although the CEC sent them the proposals “more than 10 days ago.”
The diaspora group calls on the three parties to adhere to the publicly expressed will to give emigrants the right to vote from abroad.
The DSHL group is part of the working group set up by the CEC to enable the vote of emigrants in the 2021 elections.
State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi, in a press conference, said that “consensus is needed to secure the vote of immigrants. If the parties do not agree, we will not implement the project.”
Earlier, the Democratic Party accused the government of manipulating the immigrants’ vote by appointing senior Socialist Party exponents for their registration.
On the other hand, the SP claims that the PD and LSI do not want immigrants to vote from abroad.
At the last meeting of the CEC, representatives of the parties failed to reach a consensus on the immigrant vote.
In December 2020, the CEC proposed voting for immigrants “by mail and downloading the online ballot from the CEC website.”
The CEC has also sent a proposal to the parties stating how immigrants will be registered to vote.
