It is not clear what criteria the OSCE representatives will use to assess the situation.
However, on December 14, ODIHR expressed regret over the hasty approval of changes in constitutional and electoral code.
The June 5 agreement on EU-required electoral reform with ODIHR recommendations stopped short of addressing some of the key points requested by them, such as vote-buying and the investigation of electoral crime.
Following the 2019 local elections, the ODIHR observation mission did not clearly determine whether or not they were democratic and left it to local institutions to decide. The Constitutional Court has only been functioning since the end of December and has not yet addressed the matter.
The European Union has described the electoral reform as a condition fulfilled by Albania and that now only its implementation in practice during the elections remains.
