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.