TIRANA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Albania is scheduled to hold general elections on June 25 and as the day is approaching, Albania's elections body (CEC) is accrediting the foreign and domestic observers and monitoring missions, sources from CEC reported Thursday.
These elections are deemed as crucial to Albania's progress towards the European Union integration. Therefore, the key issue remains to reach the standards and guarantee free and fair elections showing that Albania is ready to start full membership negotiations.
For this reason, Albanian authorities, namely the former speaker of Parliament of Albania who has recently elected new countrys President Ilir Meta sought a higher number of observers from the European Union bodies and foreign organization such as that for Security and Cooperation in Europes Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE).
Following such request, the OSCE representatives here told local media that OSCE has decided to join the international observers group that will monitor Albania's parliamentary election Sunday.
A press statement showed Thursday that 45 observers from 18 countries will monitor in Albania side-by-side with almost 300 observers deployed by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
Meanwhile, local media reported that a 19-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Paolo Corsini, will join. observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and the OSCE/ODIHR. They travel to Albania from 23 to 26 June to observe the conduct of the parliamentary elections.
On the other hand, the Albanian coalition of local observers has made public its initiative for the complete monitoring of parliamentary elections. The coalition has engaged 60 long term observers and 1,500 short term observers for the Election Day.
Monitoring the complete process of elections, starting from the preparation of election until the election day and the counting of votes, will be on focus of the coalition of local observers.
A report will be prepared with the results of the monitoring process.
Central election body Wednesday unanimously adopted the requests forwarded by the diplomatic missions in Tirana that have expressed their interest to closely monitor the electoral process and the election day in particular.
CEC has also approved foreign news agencies reporters who will follow up the entire elections process.
Even the Association Centre for Transparency has submitted a list of 354 long-term observers who will also be part of monitoring missions.
In this framework, the head of CEC Klement Zguri had a meeting with the EU ambassador to Tirana, Romana Vlahutin to discuss the preparations for Sundays elections.
"The main topics under discussion were the preparations for June 25 elections as well as the actions taken by CEC to ensure a smooth conduct of the voting process while CEC chairman thanked ambassador Vlahutin for the assistance that European Union has provided to the commission in conduct of free, fair and all-accepted elections," a press statement of CEC said Thursday.
On the other hand, Albanian State Police Director General Haki Cako met the head of OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in Albania, Ambassador Peter Tejler to discuss measures taken by the State Police related to the electoral process.
Police forces are trained in order to meet their assigned tasks during the electoral process, Cako told OSCEs Tejler while assuring the latter that all operational procedures have been undertaken for the safekeeping of a fair and regular election process on 25 June and afterwards.
In the meantime, important political figures here have appealed the civil society to give its contribution to the guaranteeing of free vote.
Former Albanian President Alfred Moisiu addressed citizens at a press conference inviting them to go the polls, cast their vote but also keep eyes open to see if there is any attempt to manipulate vote or any exertion of pressure to change citizens will.
June 25 elections will be Albania's ninth parliamentary elections, in which 18 political parties and coalitions are running to become part of the Albanian 140-seat parliament.
