International Election Working Group meets civil society

Representatives of OSCE participating States and international organizations in Albania, part of OSCE Presence-initiated International Election Working Group meet with civil society organizations to hear their views and concerns regarding elections, Tirana, 1 November 2024. (OSCE/Joana Karapataqi) Photo details

A strong, active and independent civil society is essential for maintaining healthy democracies. The 2025 parliamentary elections mark an important moment for the local civil society organizations to play a crucial role in observing elections, identifying and referring potential irregularities to respective institutions, and contributing to the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.

In this context, on 1 November 2024, the OSCE Presence hosted an insightful meeting of the International Election Working Group with some main civil society organizations actively working on elections.

Representatives from the civil society organizations informed the participants from the OSCE participating States and international organizations in Albania of their views on the current electoral environment, the challenges they face, and shared their perspectives aimed at making the upcoming elections more fair, inclusive, and accessible to different communities.

They voiced concerns over recent electoral reform efforts, describing them as insufficient in addressing OSCE/ODIHR and civil society recommendations. They also highlighted specific, recurring election-related challenges that, if unaddressed, are likely to persist in the upcoming 2025 elections.

All participants put the emphasis on the need to strengthening collaboration and support for a meaningful engagement of civil society in the future electoral processes.

The International Election Working Group is a forum initiated by the OSCE Presence in Albania, meeting periodically to exchange information and co-ordinate stances and assistance on electoral issues.