OSCE Presence and Council of Europe Office welcome agreement on redrawing Albanian electoral zones
(OSCE/Dinka Zivalj)Jemin Gjana of the Democratic Party talks to journalists after initialling an agreement with the Socialist Party on redrawing Albanian electoral zones, at the OSCE Presence premises in Tirana, 28 February 2005. (OSCE/Dinka Zivalj) Photo details
TIRANA, 28 February 2005 - The OSCE Presence and the Office of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Albania today welcomed the agreement on redrawing the country's 100 electoral zones reached by the principal Albanian political parties.
A compromise was reached by Albania parties on the new electoral zones map. This was a result of weeks of expert work and political consultations, which followed a protocol concluded by the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party of Albania on 30 December 2004.
The process, which was open for contributions from all Albanian political parties, was supported by the Presence and the CoE Office experts in the OSCE-chaired Working Group. In the final phase, the OSCE Presence mediated the search for a consensus solution.
As well as being agreed by the representatives of the two principal Albanian political parties, it also enjoys the support of the Human Rights Union Party. However, the final compromise was only achieved after the failure of the parties to accept the earlier expert proposal by 5 February 2005, the deadline originally agreed by the parties.
"That expert proposal would have been closer to conformity with the Electoral Code," said Ambassador Pavel Vacek, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. "The agreed formula is a mix of both political and technical solutions to the problem and, as such, it does not entirely meet the legal requirements."
The earlier expert work by the OSCE Presence and the CoE Office revealed that there was no perfect solution to the zones problem possible that would fully respect the Albanian Electoral Code, drawing upon the imperfect data available from the past.
The outcome will be handed over to the Albanian Assembly which has committed itself to enacting the new law on the electoral zones. The missing legal prerequisite for holding 2005 parliamentary elections will thus be fulfilled.
"The OSCE Presence and the Office of the Council of Europe look forward to adoption of the new law on the electoral zones in the Assembly as early as possible and to its accelerated implementation," said Ambassador Vacek and the Special Adviser for the Council of Europe in Albania, Guy-Michel Brandtner. "The delay in providing the legal basis on the zones has not made the preparations for the 2005 elections in Albania any easier."
The OSCE Presence and the Office of the CoE also expect everyone to implement the new law in good faith, in order to prepare and conduct orderly and fair elections, which have to be decided only by voters and not by any manipulation.
A compromise was reached by Albania parties on the new electoral zones map. This was a result of weeks of expert work and political consultations, which followed a protocol concluded by the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party of Albania on 30 December 2004.
The process, which was open for contributions from all Albanian political parties, was supported by the Presence and the CoE Office experts in the OSCE-chaired Working Group. In the final phase, the OSCE Presence mediated the search for a consensus solution.
As well as being agreed by the representatives of the two principal Albanian political parties, it also enjoys the support of the Human Rights Union Party. However, the final compromise was only achieved after the failure of the parties to accept the earlier expert proposal by 5 February 2005, the deadline originally agreed by the parties.
"That expert proposal would have been closer to conformity with the Electoral Code," said Ambassador Pavel Vacek, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. "The agreed formula is a mix of both political and technical solutions to the problem and, as such, it does not entirely meet the legal requirements."
The earlier expert work by the OSCE Presence and the CoE Office revealed that there was no perfect solution to the zones problem possible that would fully respect the Albanian Electoral Code, drawing upon the imperfect data available from the past.
The outcome will be handed over to the Albanian Assembly which has committed itself to enacting the new law on the electoral zones. The missing legal prerequisite for holding 2005 parliamentary elections will thus be fulfilled.
"The OSCE Presence and the Office of the Council of Europe look forward to adoption of the new law on the electoral zones in the Assembly as early as possible and to its accelerated implementation," said Ambassador Vacek and the Special Adviser for the Council of Europe in Albania, Guy-Michel Brandtner. "The delay in providing the legal basis on the zones has not made the preparations for the 2005 elections in Albania any easier."
The OSCE Presence and the Office of the CoE also expect everyone to implement the new law in good faith, in order to prepare and conduct orderly and fair elections, which have to be decided only by voters and not by any manipulation.