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When
shall the Voting Centre Commissions (VCC) be set up?
23.06.2005
Albanian Helsinki Committee,
confirms that the delayed establishment of the ELC-s, did
not serve as a negative experience that the for VCC-s members to be
assigned earlier, in the deadlines prescribed by the law.
According to article
45 item 2 of the Electoral Code the respective political parties, not
later than 35 days prior to the election day (i.e within May 30,
2005) shall submit to the 100 ELC-s the proposals for VCC-s
members and secretaries.
If
the above-mentioned deadline had been respected, the VCC-s should
have been set up since June 5, 2005. The worst thing is that VCC-s won’t be set up even in the last legal
deadline that is June 24, 2005, (look article 45 item 2 of the
Electoral Code).
Supporting the information
of the observers of this committee and CEC announcement that warned
the political parties to submit as
soon as possible to ELC the proposals for VCC members, AHC shares its own concern because instead of setting the VCC-s
starting form the next day throughout the territory of Albania,
this legal deadline was not met because the political parties have
not yet submitted to the 100 ELC-s their proposals.
AHC considers worth
highlighting that
even if the proposals of the parties were finalized the next day
(24.06.2005), the ELC-s would
need other 5 days to confirm the data one by one per each proposed
member if he met or not the requirements of the law.
For
this to happen the VCC shall be set up 5 days prior to the election
day.
AHC realises that the
consequence of this delay would lead to the impossibility of the
necessary and qualitative
training of about 38 thousands of VCC-s
The consideration that in
these elections the VCC-s won’t be overburdened because
they won’t be involved in vote counting, thus as a result their
training won’t be difficult, is completely wrong.
Despite
the above-mentioned fact, to AHC, the VCC-s will continue to play a significant role. The
observance of the provisions of the Electoral Code throughout the
process is determinant in
assessing the required standards.
AHC has attentively followed
the frequent attitudes and reactions on the part of CEC. They are
considered as positive because they aimed at the good progress of
the entire aspects of the electoral process. This was the aim of the
CEC guideline,
Nr. 15, dated 28.05.2005, ‘On the organization and functioning of
the Voting Centre Commission.’
AHC,
as an organization committed in the field of the observance of the
human rights and qualified in monitoring periodic elections that
have been held in our country, through this declaration.
a)
Appeals
to the political parties
to urgently submit proposals for VCC-s members in all the ELC-s and
b)
Suggests
to ELC-s that
immediately after submitting the recommendations, (without harming
the quality of the data confirmation for each member of the ELC-s)
they shall decide about the establishment of the VCC-s.
AHC thinks that only this way, there can be a
possibility for a relatively qualitative training. It is worth mentioning
that OSCE/ODHIR has frequently criticised the poor level of
trainings, which has been reflected in the omission to perform
adequately the duties from the electoral commission members.
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