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Zhulali: Question marks over the legitimacy of the electoral process, an obstacle to the country's EU integration progress

Politiko 2025-06-30 17:09:48

Zhulali: Question marks over the legitimacy of the electoral process, an

The EU has undertaken a series of initiatives to accelerate the region's European integration process, including frequent political meetings and the adoption of an economic growth plan, with a package of 6 billion euros, divided into grants and soft loans.

Ilda Zhulali, integration expert and head of the Foreign Policy Department at the Democratic Party, in an interview on Syri TV emphasizes that this support does not come unconditionally, on the contrary, it is closely linked to respect for democratic standards and the functioning of the rule of law, where free and fair elections are essential.

Referring to Albania, Zhulali expresses concern about the lack of certification of the May 11 elections and the issues raised by the OSCE-ODIHR report and European institutions, which, according to her, call into question the legitimacy of the electoral process and constitute a serious obstacle to the country's progress in EU integration.

Ilda Zhulali:  You gave a complete overview of the situation in the region. In fact, the European Union, after the start of the war in Ukraine and the application of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova to join the EU, but also with the desire and ambition to accelerate these processes, saw that in the Western Balkans it should have given a greater incentive and this was an opportunity that was offered to the entire region for all countries that were serious about EU membership.

To seize this moment, as a lucky moment and not as an obstacle, and that is why these frequent meetings began, but not only meetings, but the EU has also prepared what is called the economic growth plan, which is a very important economic package. It is about 6 billion euros that will be disbursed in two forms. 2 billion will be given in the form of grants and another 4 billion in the form of soft loans. But these always come with conditions. The EU has not decided to join the Balkan countries without conditions simply because there is a geopolitical moment, but it shows that it will accelerate this process if some minimum standards for the functioning of the state are set here. These minimum standards start with Albania with a normal electoral process. Unfortunately, Albania has not yet certified the elections of May 11, but all signals lead us to believe that this certification will not be comfortable for the Albanian government. This is because the findings of the OSCE-ODIHR preliminary report, but also the discussion in the European Parliament, in the Council of Europe assembly, and today in the OSCE national assembly, have highlighted irregularities that make it impossible to certify these elections as free and fair.

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