OSCE/ODIHR – Political parties must increase public trust in integrity of elections

While concluding that political parties were able to campaign freely in Albania’s 25 June 2017 parliamentary elections and that fundamental freedoms were respected, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) notes in its final report an overall lack of public trust in the integrity of the electoral process and recommends that authorities and political parties undertake robust efforts to combat vote-buying. The report, published on 28 September 2017, highlights the lack of follow-up to previous ODIHR election-related assessments and recommends that electoral reform be timely and inclusive, and based on sound policy analysis. It further recommends harmonizing different election-related laws, particularly those related to campaigning, campaign finance and media.