DP requests CEC for votes in Greece: People connected to SP may have collected the envelopes

The Democratic Party has called on the Central Election Commission to urgently intervene to restore legality to the diaspora voting process in Greece.

In the letter addressed to the Commissioner, Ilirjan Celibashi and signed by the opposition representative in the CEC, Franc Nuri, expresses concern about the voting process of Albanians residing in the Greek state.

Request to the CEC:

REPRESENTED BY MR. FRANCI NURI.

Constitution of the Republic of Albania; Article 123/1 et seq. of the Electoral Code.

State Election Commissioner Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi

Mr. State Election Commissioner, In my capacity as the legal representative of the DP-ASHM Coalition, I am officially addressing you regarding an extremely worrying situation that is developing with the voting process of Albanian citizens residing in Greece, just a few days before the general parliamentary elections of May 11, 2025.

1. When the initiative to include Albanian citizens living abroad in these elections was launched, the electoral authorities publicly guaranteed that each ballot envelope would be delivered to the voter’s declared address in the PER, through a direct postal service. Voters were assured that they would not need to leave their homes and that the process would be personal, secure and without intermediaries.

2. But a few days ago, the CEC suddenly changed its approach. Through a simple announcement published on the CEC’s social media, Albanian voters in Greece were informed by the CEC that they must appear in person at DHL points to collect or deliver their ballot envelopes. This sudden change has not only caused confusion among voters, but has also raised serious concerns about the transparency, standards and legality of the process.

3. The change in the manner of distributing envelopes contradicts the previous statements and rules of the CEC. According to the legal and regulatory framework in force, the postal operator was obliged to physically deliver each envelope to the voter, against signature and presentation of an identification document. It was even publicly emphasized that no family member could receive the envelope on behalf of another and three attempts would be made to find the voter at the address.

4. In Greece, for weeks now, we have been receiving reports that ballot envelopes are not being delivered to citizens in person at their homes, but are often being stolen in an organized manner by certain individuals who may appear at postal points (whether official or underpaid, such as betting offices or building entrances), using rented cars with Albanian license plates to avoid detection. These individuals, suspected of being linked to the Socialist Party and its structures, are reported to have collected ballot envelopes, which is totally prohibited and punishable by law.

5. Meanwhile, as is known, the Albanian State has signed a contract worth around 9.2 million Euros with the postal company DHL to guarantee the correct distribution and collection of envelopes worldwide for 246,000 voters registered in the PER. This sudden change in the delivery method - from "the envelope comes to your home" to "go and pick it up yourself" - not only increases practical difficulties for thousands of voters, but also creates room for interference, irregularities and potentially manipulation of the process.

6. Today, May 4, 2025, just one week before election day, the CEC reported that over 6,000 envelopes arrived in Tirana from Greece, while a few weeks ago the total number was 17,700.

How is it explained that a third of all envelopes in Greece arrive in a single day?

This unusual and unexpected influx, in the context of the reported problems, reinforces doubts about the integrity of the process.

7. Our concern is deep not only for the integrity of the vote, but also for the serious consequences that this situation could have on public trust in the electoral process and democracy as a whole. If this situation is not corrected immediately, the Diaspora voting process risks remaining a failed, expensive experiment with serious consequences for the country.

8. We would like to emphasize that some of these concerns have been raised and communicated by us periodically and publicly over the past few weeks, through press statements, official denunciations and representations in the media. However, given the scale of the situation and the lack of concrete intervention by your institution, we are presenting these issues to you officially and in a summarized form through this letter, to which are attached illustrative documents and reports that confirm some of the facts mentioned.

For all of the above, we request your immediate intervention for the immediate return to legality of the voting process and vote administration in the Greek state, guaranteeing regularity, security and credibility for every vote of Albanians living there.