OSCE Presence welcomes posting of Albanian final voter lists on Internet

TIRANA, 27 June 2005 - The OSCE Presence in Albania today welcomed the Ministry of Local Government's decision to post the final voter lists for the 3 July 2005 parliamentary elections on the Internet, to enable all citizens to verify their name on the lists ahead of the elections.

The publication of the final voter lists also allows citizens to check the number and address of their assigned polling station.

"It is an important tool for increasing the number of informed voters and for avoiding unnecessary confusion on the election day," said Dinka Zivalj, Spokesperson of the OSCE Presence in Albania.

"The service enhances the transparency of the electoral process and allows equal access to the final voter lists by all political subjects. "

The final lists were published by the Ministry of Local Government and Decentralization, with the support of the OSCE Presence and the Delegation of the European Commission in Albania.

The Presence also welcomes the initiative of the Ministry to set up additional information points in seven major cities to inform voters about their polling stations on the election day. The voters will also be able to use the opportunity to verify their names and the locations of the polling stations in the Final Voters Lists posted by the Zone Election Commissions (ZECs), or check them at the ZECs and Civil Status Offices throughout the country.

Importantly, and as an additional safeguard, the Electoral Code permits voters who do not find their name on the final voter lists to submit a request to the respective district court for a special decision allowing them to vote.

The final voter lists can be seen at www.lista2005.info. Voters can check their polling stations and receive additional information about the 2005 elections, candidates, political parties and other election issues also at www.votaime.com.