OSCE Presence in Albania trains representatives of foreign ministry, election commission and civil society on short-term election observation

Representatives of the Albanian Foreign Ministry, Central Election Commission and civil society completed on 18 December 2014 a three-day training course in Tirana on short-term election observation. The course was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and follows the successful delivery of a similar training course in July 2014.

“Strong participatory democracy is one of the fundamental principles that bring together the OSCE participating States,” said Robert Wilton, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. “The variety of participants in this activity, including official institutions and civil society, reflects not only the diverse partnerships that underpin our work in Albania but also the stakeholders essential to the proper functioning of democracy.”

The course is part of the efforts of the OSCE Presence in Albania to develop a broader training platform for different actors involved in the electoral process. The main beneficiaries of the broader training programme would be election commissioners at all levels. In addition, local government personnel, media, civil society representatives and others could be trained on a variety of issues related to the proper functioning of democratic processes. The aim is to further enhance the professional and impartial conduct of elections.