The elections were held under political patronage - organizations emphasize

In a joint statement, the Albanian Helsinki Committee, the Institute for Political Studies and Civic Resistance said on Monday that the election climate was polarized and that observers noted pressure or surveillance of voters by unauthorized persons outside polling stations.

Afrim Krasniqi, director of the ISP, considered the elections a loss of Albania's chance to demonstrate an electoral process with European standards.

"We have seen the involvement of various informal groups in the campaign," he said, adding a series of similar issues from previous processes, from lists of candidates for MPs with problems with justice, the use of public resources in the campaign, vote patronage, etc.

According to Krasniqi, "the incidents on voting days were indicative of the great political tension and that the parties, instead of helping with the integrity of the elections, created almost parallel structures."

The Chairperson of the AHC, Erida Skëndaj, listed a number of problems reported by this organization's 60 observers on voting day, while adding that the overall climate of the elections was very polarized.

One of the centers monitored was that of Prison 313 in Tirana, where it is reported that prisoners were ordering each other to vote.

"Sporadic cases of perceptions by Commissioners in Penitentiary Institution 313 are reported that convicts have been heard ordering each other to vote. In the polling station located near the Durrës Penitentiary Institution (in the premises of the institution's mosque), overcrowding was observed in the corridor leading to this polling station, which created premises for convicts in conversation to influence each other," the preliminary report of the AHC states.

Unauthorized persons and the behavior of party observers are seen as one of the main concerns of the voting process.

AHC has observed, according to the report, that "in some of the monitored VCs, the presence of unauthorized persons within the 150 m perimeter of the VC was observed, inappropriate behavior with dictating elements that create premises for the intimidation of voters by party observers, as well as persons who remain outside the 150 m perimeter but systematically observe voters entering and exiting the VC."

Criminal offenses that affect free elections, such as vote buying, continue to be a problem in these elections based on the complaints that have been made.

"The solemn commitment of party leaders, according to Article 64 of the Electoral Code, remains formal and vote buying remains a phenomenon that is not seriously, publicly condemned by them," the AHC emphasizes.

The AHC assesses that despite the denunciations, electoral crimes continue to remain unreported by citizens due to fear of retaliation or victimization and that under these conditions, the prosecutor's proactive investigations should have been higher. "The pro-activity of the prosecution body in initiating cases on its own initiative should have been higher, taking into account previous communications that the election campaign was monitored on the ground" - emphasizes the statement of the three organizations. Reporter.al