Gasper Koka’s vote was conducted in violation of the Electoral Code The proposal for the seventh member of the CEC must be made by parliamentary groups, not by an MP page 3

The Central Election Commission appears destined to remain a permanent “bone of contention,” providing the opposition with a strong argument for challenging the electoral process. The problem is that, in almost every step taken to shape this commission, non-compliance with or violations of the Electoral Code have been ob- [text continues outside the frame] observed, and the Code itself has also been challenged by the opposition. In fact, even in the appointment of the head of the principal institution responsible for counting the votes, which certifies the election results, the Electoral Code was not strictly followed, since Nano’s election as head of the CEC took place in the absence of the commission’s Secretary. And most recently, the disregard for the aforementioned code in appointing Gaspër Koka as the seventh member of the CEC marked the latest procedural violation, with the proposal being made by an MP alone rather than by the relevant parliamentary group. Such a tendency to disregard the rules set out in the Electoral Code when forming the CEC’s structure cannot but cause public astonishment. All the more so when the code in question was approved with the votes of the parliamentary majority itself. In these circumstances, the opposition has the right to say that “since the majority itself does not respect the Electoral Code, this means that it was designed more to emphasize [text as printed].” However, the main concern has to do with the side effects, which are linked to the risks of escalating tensions in the electoral climate, potentially bringing instability to the country. In this respect, those who do not attach importance to the strict application of the legal framework governing the establishment of electoral infrastructure and the conduct of elections show that they have not understood the essence of the messages coming from the West and international institutions in general. Anyone familiar with the content of these messages would have no difficulty understanding that, for the international community, what matters is the normal conduct of elections in order to minimize the extent of challenges, at a time when no one is interested in who will win them. Indeed, with the violations that majority MPs themselves are committing against the Electoral Code, the majority in power will control the CEC, but representatives of the international institutions are also being placed in a difficult position—those representatives of the international institutions who took part in preparing this code and have been under the opposition’s heavy barrage of criticism.

The wreckage of the plane that crashed yesterday near Paris, with 109 German passengers on board photo REUTERS The wreckage of the plane that crashed yesterday near Paris, with 109 German passengers on board — photo REUTERS

MP Vladimir Fejzo, Minister Edi Rama and Prefect Gjok Jaku are the candidates who could win constituencies left open by the “Alliance for the State” Last night, sources inside the PS headquarters in Tirana confirmed that the leading Socialists were in a serious quandary over choosing candidates for mayor in the cities of Tirana, Vlora and Lezhë, since, as of yesterday, the names submitted by the headquarters in these cities were not serious candidates capable of winning the local elections. Faced with a major challenge from independent MP Fejzo in Vlora, the Socialists are hesitating to put forward a rival against him, as they risk a total defeat in this city, which the PS calls a “Socialist stronghold.” (continued on page 2)