The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) held a press conference this Friday on the election observation mission (EOM) for the 25 April elections in Albania.
The head of the OSCE, Ambassador Ursula Gacek explained that “they will monitor the voter registration process, the election campaign, the voting process and the resolution of election-related disputes”.
“As part of the observation, the mission will also monitor the media coverage of the campaign”, she added.
“Due to the continued health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across the OSCE region and the related travel restrictions, ODIHR is not able to deploy short-term observers ahead of the 25 April elections as originally planned”, was mentioned during the conference.
“Meetings with numerous representatives of state authorities, political parties, civil society, the media, and the international community form an integral part of the observation”, it was added.
She emphasized that the mission is strictly impartial and will not interfere with the election results.
“We will stay in Albania until May 17, in order to oversee everything related to this election. There are several procedures. There will be a final report summing up the observation, where in addition to the conclusions there will be our recommendations for improvements”, she concluded.
Prior to the April 25 general elections, the OSCE previously has published an assessment report on the needs of the ODIHR who will monitor the run-up, day of, and days after.
They have announced that 24 long-term observers will be present in the country, alongside some 250 observers who will monitor the voting and counting process.
