The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)formally opened on Tuesday an election observation mission for the 18 June parliamentary elections in Albania. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Albanian Government.

The mission is led by Ambassador Peter Tejler and consists of a core team of 13 experts based in Tirana and 26 long-term observers to be deployed in teams of two across the country. In addition, ODIHR will request 300 short-term observers to monitor proceedings on election day.

The mission will observe the elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments, other international obligations and standards for democratic elections and with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor the candidate and voter registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant governmental bodies, election-related legislation and its implementation, the media environment and the resolution of election-related disputes. As part of the observation, the mission will also monitor the media coverage of the campaign.

In the course of its observation, the mission will meet with representatives from state authorities, political parties and candidates, and with representatives from civil society, the media, and the international community.

On election day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results. For election day, the mission will join efforts with a delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

A statement of preliminary findings and conclusions will be issued on the day after the elections. A final report on the observation will be published approximately two months after the completion of the electoral process.

The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Presence in Albania operate separately under their respective mandates.