Vote of immigrants, Celibashi talks about the organization and challenges of the process

2024-09-24 18:48:00, Politikë CNA

Vote of immigrants, Celibashi talks about the organization and challenges of the

In Albania, the Central Election Commission is working on the preparation of all acts and procedures related to voting from abroad for immigrants. A practice which will be tested for the first time in the general elections next spring. Voting will be done by mail. State Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi says in a conversation with the Voice of America that all efforts will be made from the point of view of guaranteeing the vote, everything is clear and there are no doubts. But on the other hand, he admits that it is a logistical operation which becomes somewhat difficult due to the limited time available. Precisely the tight deadlines are putting into serious question the implementation of electronic voting and counting in a reduced number of districts.

At the end of July, the Parliament approved changes to the electoral code, including the vote of immigrants, assigning the responsibility of organizing the entire process to the Central Election Commission. A day ago, this Commission submitted for consultation the draft decision on the rules for their registration and the preparation of the list of voters who will vote from abroad.

This process will be carried out through an online platform, where each of those who live abroad, and wants to vote, must open an account and then, as the State Commissioner of Elections, Ilirjan Celibashi, explains to the Voice of America, upload there the identification document and a document that shows where he lives, "this more to show the address where the ballot paper will have to go next. In short, it is a very simple process from a technical point of view and not at all complicated".

No one knows the exact number of immigrants with the right to vote, but according to rough estimates, the number could be around 1 or 1.1 million potential voters. Mr. Celibashi says that the CEC will engage in an information campaign to introduce them to this opportunity.

Voting will be done by mail. The voting paper for immigrants will start as soon as the CEC has completed the process of registering candidates and produced the ballot paper. "About 28-32 days remain for the CEC to produce the ballots and send them. From the moment we send the ballot, the voting process is considered open. So they can have a few days to vote", explains Mr. Celibashi.

The Commission will send to the address indicated by the voter abroad, the envelopes and the ballot paper which, after being filled out, will have to be returned to the CEC. "The envelope in which the ballot is located is a white envelope. This is placed in another envelope containing the voter's data. When it arrives, the envelope containing the address is torn open and the white envelope is kept. Everyone gathers in a basket and there the counting process takes place", says the Election Commissioner.

The voter will have to cover the cost of sending the ballot to the CEC. Mr. Celibashi admits that it is a costly process. "Enough with the international postal service. Depending on the distance, they range from 10-40 euros or dollars, and more, for one voter", he says.

The counting will be done at the Central Election Commission, which this time will have to engage in a new process for it. "It is a logistical operation, not so complicated, as with commitments, and for the time available, it puts us in a lot of trouble. We are working to address all questions about how the process will be administered. The division will be in 12 districts, because depending on where the civil status register is, that's where the vote goes. From the moment of arrival, it will be divided according to the districts. We are trying, from the point of view of the vote guarantee, to make sure everything is clear and there are no doubts", emphasizes Mr. Celibashi.

Time does not promise for other aspects of the electoral process that will take place in Albania. It is still not clear in how many districts, even in the next elections, electronic voting and counting will be implemented. "We had proposed that it be developed in 4 or 5 districts, but now, for the remaining time, this is impossible. We will have a final discussion with the representatives of the political parties, if we can extend the electronic voting process to at least two or three main districts of the country. But every day that passes reduces the possibility of electronic voting in three or two districts. Perhaps, if time passes further, we will not have the opportunity to prepare electronic voting, even in one district", says Mr. Celibashi, not hiding his regret for this. He expresses his conviction that "it would be useful that this method of voting to extend further". In the last local elections, electronic voting and counting was carried out in the municipalities of Kamza, Vora and Elbasan./ Voa