Conny McCormack, head of the OSCE-ODIHR international observatory
mission for the June 23rd elections, declared that the Central Election
Commission situation remains unchanged.
“This situation is affecting the decision making, because some decisions need the vote of five members. In our preliminary report we underlined that this law request has not been implemented because the Central Election Commission did not have five members, and have taken decisions that request qualified majority by using rational justifications, according to which the decision can be taken with four members. However, the law is very clear and I think that the issue for us and everyone else is that the elections are near and the result certification needs five members. This is the core of the issue. There are several decisions that require qualified majority, but the most important one is the certification of the result”, McCormack declared.
In an interview for Deutsche Welle, the high rank official underlined that the Central Election Commission should function normally.
“No one desires to have this commission stopped functioning. You need the elections and they cannot be complete without an institution like the Central Election Commission. There is no other alternative to this. But our mission has presented the fact that the Central Election Commission has taken some decisions that require qualified majority, and will not be able to fulfill the deadlines if the Central Election Commission reformation is not accelerated within the time remained until the June 23rd elections”, McCormack declared.
A country like Albania, with a history of razor tight elections difference between parties, leaves the result not only on the Central Election Commission, but also on what happens during the counting process.
“While the ballot counting process in Albania is very open by allowing local and international observers, no one can deny their access and think that this is a key component in the public’s credibility. All voting centers have cameras and screens that show how the voting is going and if the vote is not cast. The contestations take place wherever the result is very narrow, including my country, the United States of America. No one can predict what will happen on the June 23rd elections”, McCormack declared.
Top Channel
