PRESS RELEASE
On 3 July 2020, the Coalition for Reforms, Integration, and Consolidated Institutions published the STATEMENT “After the conclusion of the legal text of the Electoral Reform, time to pay attention to the institutional condition in the country”.
After the common political will has been materialized in the legal text of amendments to the Electoral Code, in fulfillment of the June 5 political agreement and after this legal text has been submitted two days ago the Law Parliamentary Committee, KRIIK, through this Statement brings into the attention of political and decision-making stakeholders that it is time to pay the same level of attention to another matter, which is as important, the institutional condition in the country.
This conclusion comes as a result of more than sixteen months of monitoring on the political and institutional situation that preceded, accompanied and brought forth the 30 June process, which was followed as a laboratory experience in analyzing the legal and institutional capacity for elections with integrity.
THE MONITORING REPORT “Legal and institutional behavior of institutions and other stakeholders involved in the 30 June 2019 electoral process” published along this Statement comes in the spirit of a post-electoral audit of the procedural and institutional behavior, which KRIIK has advocated for as an important instrument in guaranteeing electoral integrity.
The Report concludes that every circumstance of the legal and institutional reality is submissive to the will of the political establishment. Moreover, it is noticed that the whole state mechanism manifests an institutional behavior and law enforcement in function of the bipartisan dynamics.
KRIIK deems that this situation of the legal and institutional capacity is a direct responsibility of the whole political establishment and burdens the lives of the Albanian citizens.
As such, there is a need to extend this political agreement for a major and integral reformation of the mechanism, as a challenge apart, beyond the next elections.
This reform can in no way be thought as shallow and short-sighted, but there is a need for a long-term, well-though and radical process.
In KRIIK’s expertise, this reform must undertake radical measures starting with an indispensable transparency of institutions, to the re-dimensioning of the electoral administration.
The re-dimensioning process must not only bring forth the establishment of a non-political administration, but up to a reality in which the burden of proof in electoral justice is passed on the administration itself.
As a conclusion, it is brought into attention that, in function of the amendments that are expected to be adopted, very soon the members of the CEC in the three new structures will be nominated.
KRIIK urges all political and decision-making stakeholders, to keep in mind the continuously criticizable behavior of the members of the CEC bodies, and even the experience to date of law enforcement and institutional integrity brought to the attention of the public opinion also through this 16 months Monitoring Report, so that an equal process of selection and filtration, with rigorous evaluation criteria vis-a-vis professional and personal integrity in relation to laws and institutions is built.
The full STATEMENT can be downloaded in pdf format HERE.
Also the MONITORING REPORT on the legal and institutional behavior throughout November 2018 – February 2020, can be found HERE.
Tirana, 3 July 2020!