Inexcusable Delay

June 13. 2005  

Albanian Heslinki Committee (AHC) shares the concern voiced by the Head of CEC Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi as regards the delay in providing the respective information to the chairmen of the local power units about the accurate constituency-based and polling centre-based number of voters.

AHC is of the opinion that the Ministry of Local Power and Decentralization would have preceded this concern.

The administrative and penal measures that can be taken against the law offenders, although necessary, are not the most important. AHC considers that the most important thing was the prevention of the violation.

AHC also shares the CEC concern that the abovementioned delay as such, can compromise one of the most important aspects of the elections, the voting aspect. That’s why; this problem needs to be tackled with adequate earnestness.

Everyone talks, accepts and declares that the elections of this year are going to be a test for Albania, that they must meet the required standards.

AHC even previously has highlighted that the achievement of these standards is conditioned by two factors:  a) the political will and b) the rigorous law enforcement.

There are only 20 days from the elections of July 3. In anticipation of the voting day there are significant issues that need to be tackled, there are deadlines that need to be met. Suffice it to mention that one of the most significant aspects: the one of the timely establishment of the vote-counting groups as well as the qualitative training of their members.

On this occasion, AHC appeals to all the respective state bodies, electoral commissions and all the electoral subjects to give their own contribution as regards the enforcement of the law and of the CEC guidelines. The electoral process has gone into its final stage. Let’s attest into practice that we know how to hold free, fair and uncontested elections.