Arian Galdini announces the initiative for the Nationwide Petition for the right to vote of the Diaspora.

2023-09-18 18:48:00, Politikë CNA

Arian Galdini announces the initiative for the Nationwide Petition for the right

Today, in a Media Conference from the LRE Headquarters, the Chairman of this party, Arian Galdini, has made public the initiative on the Nationwide Petition for the right to vote of the Diaspora.

Galdini said that the Diaspora Council for the Right to Vote was created by a group of immigrants, but also political and civil activists in Albania.

According to him, the Diaspora Council for the Right to Vote, today, on September 18, launched the campaign for the signing of the Nationwide Petition, which asks the leaders of the Western countries to put positive pressure on the Government and the Parliament of Albania, to carry out the made a reality the right of Albanian immigrants to vote from the country where they live, in the elections that take place in the Republic of Albania.

" All Albanians in Albania but also in the Diaspora are invited, especially and necessarily the Albanians of the Diaspora, to distribute and massively sign this Petition for the right to vote. We must all do this battle together, since rights are not given, but earned ", said Arian Galdini.

Arian Galdini and LRE announce the initiative/ Nationwide Petition for the right to vote for the Diaspora
September 15, 22:40

Full text of the Petition:

National Petition for the constitutional right of the Diaspora to vote!

Directed by:

President of the European Commission

European Commissioner for Enlargement

European Commissioner for External Relations

US Secretary of State

Prime Minister of Great Britain

Prime Minister of Italy

Prime Minister of Greece

Chancellor of Germany

the president of France

(Prime Ministers of EU member states)

President of the Republic of Albania

Prime Minister of Albania

Chairmen of the Parliamentary and Non-Parliamentary Political Parties of Albania

We, the Albanian citizens, address you with this Petition, proving to you our full and determined will through our firm in this Petition and our commitment to this Petition, on the necessity of a major intervention of all civic, political and institutional, in Albania and in every country where Albanians live, for the determination of the constitutional right of the Albanian Diaspora to vote from the country where they currently live, in the elections held in the Republic of Albania.

Albania has remained the last country in South-East Europe that has not yet enabled Albanians living outside Albania in the Diaspora, the right to vote.

With protracted, devious and arbitrary practices, the Albanian political class has succeeded for years in denying Diaspora Albanians the right to vote from where they live.

Even though the Electoral Code of the Republic of Albania has already sanctioned the right to vote of the Diaspora, even though the Constitution of Albania has sanctioned the right to vote of the Diaspora, even though there is also a decision of the Constitutional Court through which the Government is obliged , Political Parties and CEC (Central Election Commission) to immediately realize the right of Diaspora Albanians to vote, we have seen and verified every day that the political will of the Albanian political parties that have the numbers and decision-making in the Parliament of Albania , continues to be deceitful and an obstacle to the right of Albanians abroad to vote in the elections held in Albania.

So we join this Petition to demand the right to vote from where we live, today, now, immediately.

We join our firm in this Petition and with our commitment to this Petition, to firmly request the immediate and necessary legal, budgetary and logistical decisions by the Parliament of Albania, the Government of Albania and the CEC- Central Election Commission.

We persistently and uncompromisingly demand, without tolerating any delay or new alibi of procrastination, the right to vote of the Diaspora to become a reality and be guaranteed within an earlier deadline that does not allow the failure of this process for the parliamentary elections of the year 2025

Albania is the last country in Southeast Europe that still has problems with free, fair and equal elections and also the last country that does not allow Albanian immigrants around the world the right to vote.

Most likely, the political class in Albania is still afraid of free, fair and equal elections, and is undoubtedly afraid of the vote of Albanian immigrants around the world.

If in Albania there are still bad practices of harming, alienating, threatening, pressuring, luring or buying votes, this means that the right to vote of immigrants outside the homeland brings a new spirit and energy of freedom, hope and westernism in Albania.

We Albanian emigrants abroad suffer from unrepresentation more than anyone else.

We feel abandoned and neglected by the Albanian Governments of all times.

The denial of the right to vote has also denied us the opportunity to have our voice and power in the Parliament of Albania and in the Institutions of Albania.

Although we Albanian immigrants living abroad are great and essential contributors to the economy of Albania, either through the help and financial relief we give to our families but also through direct and indirect investments, we are completely excluded from our right to representation political.

That's why we join in this Petition to demand with all our power, the right to vote for Albanian immigrants, today, now, immediately.

With this Petition, we also address the Political and Institutional Leaders of the free world, the EU, the USA and the UK, as well as the EU member states:

Because we are all tax-paying citizens or residents and honest contributors and strict law enforcers in our second homeland, which is already the place where we live and work outside of Albania.

Because of evil minorities we often unfairly suffer prejudices and stigmatizations that weigh heavily on us.

But we can no longer accept that "law-breaking and problematic minorities" become the definition of our national or social identity.

The overwhelming, absolute majority of Albanians around the world are honest and successful people and citizens with work, merit and ability, enforcing the laws and paying taxes and exercising political responsibilities even as voters in the countries where they live outside of Albania.

What we feel we lack, is the care and the taking of relevant responsibilities by the Government of Albania, for our protection and representation.

And this can change only through our right to choose the representatives of the Parliament and the Government in Albania.

We want the right to vote because we want the right to representation but also to accountability.

Given that the Government and Political Parties in Albania have shown us treachery by delaying and denying us the right to vote for years, we are addressing all the Highest Political Authorities of the USA, EU, UK and EU member states where we live, so that as taxpayers and voters and honest citizens or residents of these countries, our voice is heard, represented and forwarded, turning our right to vote in Albania into a priority above priorities in bilateral discussions between each country where we live and Albania, between the EU and Albania, between the USA and Albania, between the UK and Albania.

We appeal to you with this Petition that every Western government, EU institutions, the European Parliament, and the USA exert maximum positive pressure to force the Government of Albania and the Parliamentary Political Parties in Albania to carry out the implementation of the Constitution as soon as possible and the decision of the Constitutional Court, and make the right to vote a reality and guaranteed for Albanian immigrants in the world, today, now, immediately.

We, the signatories of this Petition, are committed to raising our voice everywhere and everywhere to every Western Government, to every Political Institution in the countries where we live, to the Deputies of the Electoral Areas in the countries where we live, to the MEPs of the countries where we live, to the Institutions of the EU and the USA and to every Senator and Congressman.

We will do everything in our civic capacity to win this battle.

We Albanian immigrants around the world demand the right to vote in Albania and we want it today, now, immediately./ CNA