“We have a large number of Albanians abroad and they could turn into a big problem in tomorrow’s government,” election expert Kristaq Kume told Top Channel.
The former chairman of the CEC adds: “Theoretically, there are possibilities for the Albanian Parliament to be more the will of the Albanians living outside the country than those inside it, even though it is almost at the limits of impossibility to be realized.”
The request of the diaspora to have 10 deputies in the Albanian Parliament has been rejected. The new election law has already stipulated that the vote of Albanians abroad will not produce a dedicated mandate, but will be included in the number of votes in Tirana.
“With the legislation we have today, it is impossible to be realized. Opportunities to do so exist, such solutions exist in the legislation of other countries, but of course this is done by political agreement.”
The provisions in the new Albanian electoral code make it very difficult for immigrants to vote as they must first register in Albania the address of residence abroad in order to apply for the right to vote. Experts say that if this is not accompanied by a proper information campaign then the number of voters outside the Albanian territory would be many times smaller.
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