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December 10, 2024 is the legal deadline set by the Electoral Code for issuing the Decree of the President of the Republic to announce the date[1] of the Spring 2025 Assembly Elections, as the mandate[2] of the current Assembly ends on September 10, 2025[3].
The Coalition for Reforms, Integration and Consolidated Institutions (KRIIK) commends the statement and approach of the President of the Republic that setting the date of the elections is not simply a constitutional obligation nor a formal legal procedure, as well as the other messages expressed in his message[4] after the conclusion of the consultation process for setting the date of the 2025 general elections.
This is a proactive approach, which KRIIK supported and encouraged to take further in the fruitful conversation with His Excellency Mr. President and his Staff[5], on November 11, 2025, emphasizing, among others, the need for a continuous interest of the President’s Institution in the implementation of the law by state institutions tasked with duties related to the electoral process, in fulfillment of paragraph “h” of Article 92 of the Constitution.
In this meeting, among others, KRIIK stressed the need to decree the election date as soon as possible, as a series of processes, mechanisms and deadlines are related to the date of the announcement of the Decree.
KRIIK expresses his reservations regarding this delay in the announcement of the decree on the date of the 2025 parliamentary elections.
This delay, although not in violation of the law, is found to be meaningless, while it is bringing a series of non-positive effects and consequences regarding the quality of the upcoming election process and compliance with the legal framework.
The current or even further delay in non-promulgated the Decree is leading, first, in undoing the entire consultative process with political parties, naturally and logically limiting the available election dates, only to the last date of the election period, which is May 11, 2025, a date publicly contested by the opposition parties.
The late announcement of the Decree is putting the entire preparation of the next election process under a “stress test”, a process which foresees the approval many acts, while even their correct implementation requires the necessary time available, without mentioning the load carried by the application for the first time of voting for Albanian citizens living abroad.
Article 27 of the Electoral Code in its point 1 determines that the approval of the Electoral Administration Zones for the next elections must be done no later than 9 months before the end of the mandate of the Assembly, i.e. no later than December 10, 2024. This decision cannot be taken without first setting the date of the elections by Decree, which paves the way for the approval of all the by-law regulatory acts necessary for the preparation and implementation of the electoral process 2025.
It is emphasized here that the possible change of the borders of the Electoral Administration Areas, if the President announces one of the first three dates of the election period, it would be done by the Regulatory Commission in violation of the Electoral Code, as Article 27 paragraph 6 of it determines that this decision must be taken no later than 5 months before the date of the elections[6].
On the other hand, appointment of monitors, who will observe compliance with the obligations of electoral subjects for the election campaign, including compliance with prohibitions and restrictions of certain forms of campaigning and abuse of state resources, scheduled to take place no later than six months before the election date, according to Article 92/4 of the Electoral Code, is already in violation of the law. Even if the last date was announced as the election date, i.e. May 11, 2025, this process should have been completed before November 11, 2024.
It is brought to attention, also, that this delay in the announcement of the decree, leaves very little time for the process of verifying and cleaning voter lists, leaving the possibility for the publication of only three extracts of the electoral components, insufficient time in KRIIK judgment, for the control and clarification of voter lists based on the many problems brought about by the previous election processes, especially those of the 2023 local elections.
In conclusion, KRIIK urges the President of the Republic to announce as soon as possible the Decree on setting the date of the elections for the general parliamentary elections of 2025, in a fair exercise of his powers and responsibilities.
Tirana, on December 3, 2024!
[1]Law no. 8417, dated 22.11.1998, Constitution of the Republic of Albania, Part four “President of the Republic”, Article 92, paragraph “gj”.
[2] Law no. 8417, dated 22.11.1998, Constitution of the Republic of Albania, Part Three “Assembly”, Chapter I “Election and term”, Article 65, paragraph 1 “The Assembly is elected every 4 years. The mandate of the Assembly begins with its first meeting after the elections and ends on the same date of the same month of the fourth year from the date of the first meeting. In any case, the Assembly remains in office until the first meeting of the newly elected Assembly.”
[3] Parliament of Albania, official Facebook page: The first Plenary Session of the X Legislature convenes, date 10 September 2021.
[4] The official website of the President’s Institution, “Message of the President of the Republic, H. E. Mr. Bajram Begaj, at the end of the consultation process for setting the date of the general elections of 2025″, published on 25.11.2024.
“… Setting the election date for me is not just a constitutional obligation nor a formal legal procedure, but it is, first of all, a strong test of cooperation, understanding and commitment of all political and institutional factors on behalf of voters and for voters, as it is a significant occasion to bring back to attention the decisive importance that elections have for the consolidation of parliamentary democracy.
The main task of political actors is to transform the parliamentary elections of the spring of 2025 into a success story for Albanians and Albanian democracy, where the implementation of the law, correctness and ethics in the communication of the platforms, respect for the voters and their will to be expressed by vote.”
[5] TV ABC News AL, “President Begaj meeting with representatives of KRIIK: Civil society to engage in election supervision”, published on 11.11.2024.
[6] If the Decree announces April 20, 2025 as the date of the Parliamentary Elections, the deadline for making this decision would be November 19, 2024; – if April 27, 2025 is decreed as the Election Date, the deadline for making this decision would be November 26, 2024; – if May 4, 2025 is decreed as the Election Date, the deadline for making this decision would be today, December 3, 2024.
*This Document is published in Albanian and in English.
The Albanian version is the only official document.