Today, the OSCE Presence in Albania and the General Prosecutor’s Office organized a workshop aimed at enhancing investigative and prosecution capacities of electoral crimes ahead of 11 May parliamentary elections.

The event – which brought together prosecutors, judicial police officers, State Police and key civil society organizations – served as a forum to foster direct and open dialogue between civil society organizations monitoring elections and relevant institutions. The participants exchanged insights on various aspects of electoral crimes, emphasizing the need for co-ordinated action among all stakeholders: state institutions, especially those tasked with investigating and prosecuting duties, civil society organizations, media and the general public.

The Head of Presence, Ambassador Michel Tarran praised the inter-institutional efforts to counter electoral violations, highlighting the recent co-ordination agreement between the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime and the Central Election Commission. “This event comes at a critical moment, just one day ahead of the official start of the electoral campaign. Electoral integrity is at the core of any democratic society. Ensuring free and fair elections requires strong institutions, accountability, transparency and a firm commitment to the rule of law”, Tarran said.

General Prosecutor Olsian Çela said: “Prosecutors and judicial police officers must demonstrate serious commitment during the electoral process by conducting swift and comprehensive investigations. At the same time, it is important to ensure transparency towards the media and the public regarding the outcomes of these investigations”.

State Police Deputy Director Sokol Bizhga and State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi also spoke at the opening of the event. Representatives of the Institute for Political Studies, KRIIK, Albanian Helsinki Committee and BIRN Albania offered their organizations’ insights, findings and recommendations to better support prosecutors and judicial police in addressing electoral crimes.

The event was organized as part of the OSCE Presence’s project “Support to electoral reform and processes in Albania” funded by Sweden, Switzerland, the U.S. Mission to the OSCE and Poland.