The head of the European Parliament delegation to the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission for Albania’s May 11 elections praised the Central Election Commission (CEC) for organizing an open and transparent process.

During a press conference presenting the mission’s conclusions, he emphasized the importance of addressing several OSCE recommendations that were not implemented, highlighting as particularly concerning the reported last-minute use of the pension scheme and the pardoning of fines.

He also noted that the lack of independent media reporting—due to political influence—prevented citizens from receiving objective information.

“The elections were competitive and the campaign calm, but some ODIHR recommendations remain unaddressed, such as campaign financing. We believe that vote counting outside polling stations is something that needs to be reviewed. Additionally, we want to highlight that several interlocutors raised concerns about the misuse of public funds, the last-minute use of the pension scheme, and the forgiving of fines. The CEC managed procedures efficiently. We welcome the agreement between SPAK and the CEC for the prosecution of electoral crimes,” the EU official said.