– ELECTIONS FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF ALBANIA 25 APRIL 2021 INTERIM MONITORING REPORT - II 26 March – 23 April 2021 Tirana, on 24 April 2021! Elections for the Assembly of Albania Interim Monitoring Report – II 25 April 2021 26 March – 23 April 2021 COALITION FOR REFORMS, INTEGRATION AND CONSOLIDATED INSTITUTIONS (KRIIK ALBANIA) In cooperation with 33 partner organizations ELECTIONS FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF ALBANIA 25 APRIL 2021 INTERIM MONITORING REPORT – II* 26 March – 23 April 2021 *This Report is published in Albanian and in English. The Albanian version is the only official document. 2 Coalition for Reforms, Integration and Consolidated Institutions (KRIIK Albania) Interim Monitoring Report – II Elections for the Assembly of Albania 26 March – 23 April 2021 25 April 2021 KOALICIONI PËR REFORMA, INTEGRIM DHE INSTITUCIONE TË KONSOLIDUARA Prepared by: © COALITION FOR REFORMS, INTEGRATION AND CONSOLIDATED INSTITUTIONS All rights reserved. Parts of this material can be freely used. In that case, please cite the source. A: Rr. “Ymer Kurti”, Nd.4, H.2, Ap.3, Nj.Adm.5, Tirana, 1019 | Mailing Address: P.O.Box. 2396 Tirana, 1001, Albania; T: + 355 4 2245078 | M: + 355 673890174; + 355 682039297 | E: [email protected] | W: www.kriik.al. The Election Monitoring Action of KRIIK for the Elections for the Assembly of Albania of 25 April 2021 is financially supported by: • the Government of the United Kingdom; • Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); • the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany; and • the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The opinions and views expressed in this Report and any other publication in the frame of this Monitoring Action are the sole responsibility of KRIIK and do not necessarily represent the official position or opinion of the donors. 3 Coalition for Reforms, Integration and Consolidated Institutions (KRIIK) Elections for the Assembly of Albania Interim Monitoring Report – II 25 April 2021 26 March – 23 April 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 5 I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 III. SECONDARY LEGISLATION GOVERNING THE ELECTION PROCESS .......................................................................... 11 IV. ELECTION MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 13 IV.1. CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION ......................................................................................................................... 13 IV.1.1 State Election Commissioner (Commissioner) ................................................................................................. 14 IV.1.2. Regulatory Commission (the Regulatory) ....................................................................................................... 15 IV.1.3. Commission of Appeals and Sanctions (CAS) .................................................................................................. 16 IV.2. COMMISSIONS OF ELECTION ADMINISTRATION ZONES ........................................................................................ 17 IV.2.1. ESTABLISHING POLLING STATION COMMISSIONS (PSC) ................................................................................................... 17 IV.2.2. ESTABLISHING BALLOT COUNTING TEAMS (BCT) ........................................................................................................... 19 V. ELECTION CAMPAIGN ............................................................................................................................................ 20 V.1. CAMPAIGN ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................................................... 20 V.2. USE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES FOR ELECTORAL BENEFIT ............................................................................................ 26 VI. CAMPAIGN FINANCE ............................................................................................................................................ 29 VII. MEDIA ................................................................................................................................................................. 31 VII.1. AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA ................................................................................................................................................. 33 VII.2. PRINT MEDIA ............................................................................................................................................................ 36 VII.3 ONLINE MEDIA .......................................................................................................................................................... 37 VII.3.1 SOCIAL MEDIA ........................................................................................................................................................ 38 VIII. COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS ............................................................................................................................... 38 VIII.1. CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION ................................................................................................................................ 39 VIII.2. ELECTORAL COLLEGE ................................................................................................................................................. 42 IX. OBSERVERS ........................................................................................................................................................... 43 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 45 ABOUT KRIIK .............................................................................................................................................................. 46 ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION................................................................................................................................................... 46 ENGAGEMENT FOR ELECTORAL INTEGRITY ................................................................................................................................ 46 ACRONYMS................................................................................................................................................................ 48 4 Coalition for Reforms, Integration and Consolidated Institutions (KRIIK Albania) Interim Monitoring Report – II Elections for the Assembly of Albania 26 March – 23 April 2021 25 April 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The 25 April elections are being held in an extremely polarized and conflictual situation both politically and institutionally. Vote buying, voter intimidation and other election crimes were the topic of the day during the campaign and grew in intensity as election day approached. The extreme polarization escalated to conflict and physical violence amongst or between the supporters of election contestants, and even a loss of life only four days before election day. • The effects of this harsh political rhetoric are of high concern and the incidents of the last few campaign days could lead to voter withdrawal, especially those that are not decided supporters of any contestant. • The legal framework for elections was completed during the reporting period with secondary legislation detailing the election process or affecting it directly. KRIIK deems the normative act adopted by the Regulatory Committee on detailing rules for financial reporting and revenue and expenses control and verification by election contestants, as a positive development. • Public health bodies have been slow and passive in addressing the rules that should be followed when organizing elections amidst a pandemic. The restrictions on movements of citizens during the night and the gathering to less than ten persons remain in force and could potentially be used to restrict the rights of commissioners, observers and other election stakeholders on election day or during the counting process. Public authorities took no measures to publicly clarify whether there will be exemptions from the rules during election day or during the counting process for individuals engaged in the electoral process. • The compulsory self-isolation for citizens traveling from Greece or Northern Macedonia is a violation of the suffrage rights and cannot, in any way, be justified with the argument provided by the Technical Committee when making the decision in question. • The election process has been, generally, efficiently administered, during the period covered in the report, with issues which are deemed to have not harmed the process. • The CEC managed the technical aspects of the election process mostly efficiently and with increased transparency. However, KRIIK notes that all three CEC leadership bodies again reflected behavior not reflective of one institution, but of three bodies functionally separated from each other. • The behavior of the Regulatory and the Complaints and Sanctions Committee (KAS) commissioners was politically influenced, and this was frequently noted in the positions taken by the members of these committees