Following the publication of the OSCE/ODIHR report, the Democratic Party has responded. Through the head of the justice department, the DP declares that the preliminary report tarnishes the elections in Albania.
According to the Democratic Party, the alarm is being raised about political polarization, abuses and censorship.
Statement by the head of the Justice Department in the Democratic Party, Franc Nuri:
An alarming document from the organization that monitors elections around the world, published today, assesses the conditions under which elections will be held in Albania as inappropriate, speaking of 'extreme political polarization', resulting from a 'unilateral electoral reform without public consultation'.
The OSCE emphasizes that most of the suggestions for improving the electoral process made by this organization remain unimplemented.
In this logic, the permanent problems under Edi Rama continue, such as 'the misuse of public assets for electoral purposes and pressure on administration employees'.
The report also mentions those the prime minister boasts about, 'patronage networks' as a form of political influence.
Also of concern is the illegal use of personal data, which the report calls 'abuse'.
The media is considered politicized and concentrated in a few hands. 'The media is linked to interests close to the government, compromising media pluralism,' says the report, which also mentions self-censorship and pressure on journalists, including verbal attacks or criminal prosecution.
The OSCE also criticizes Prime Minister Rama's ban on TikTok and digital censorship, considering it an attack on freedom of expression.
Without mentioning him by name, but clearly referring to the prime minister, the report speaks of a 'campaign characterized by personal attacks and a lack of discussion of public policies'.
OSCE-ODIHR also touches on another scourge of elections, which is the lack of impunity for electoral violations and manipulations, as proven by files 339 and 184.
The report states that the CEC has identified dozens of violations, but very few punitive measures have been taken.