Yesterday the Central Election Commission (KQZ) released a public statement that all major parties were about to miss the deadline to hand in the list of their candidates for the Election Administration Zone Commissions (KZAZ). Whereas the Socialist Party (PS) handed in their list by the end of the day, neither the opposition Democratic Party (PD), nor the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) have proposed any candidates so far.
The KZAZs play a crucial role in the administration of the local elections, which are planned for June 30.
By handing in their candidate list on time, the PS emphasizes its stance of “business as usual,” as Prime Minister Edi Rama told deputies to prepare for the National Assembly of the PS on March 23 as well as the local elections.
The failure of the PD and LSI to hand in their lists may be the first signal that the opposition parties intend to boycott the local elections.
In the past, ignoring the CEC deadline has became a common practice with all political parties. During the national elections campaign of 2017, all parties failed to hand in a complete list until mere days before the elections, leaving major voting districts without sufficient preparation. The tactic of delaying publishing the names of voting commissioners was aimed at reducing the risk of them being “bought” by another party in the period between the publication of their names and the elections.
The Electoral Reform, mandated by the EU, is supposed to remove any political influence on the selection process of voting commissioners. As the opposition has left Parliament, there is very little chance the reform will be implemented before the upcoming elections.
Yesterday, former PS Minister Damian Gjiknuri was nominated as coordinator for electoral reform. In December 2018, Gjiknuri was sacked by PM Rama following two tender scandals worth EUR 30 million given to a ghost company that had forged all documents. Relying on prosecution wiretaps, the opposition also alleges that Gjiknuri was PS’s main official to lead the buying of votes in the Dibra region during the 2017 election.
