Home > 5 Referendum/Consultation > ALBANIA - Joint Opinion on the Draft Law on the Legislative Initiative of the Citizens
 
 
 
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Paragraph 31
 

The draft law provides for the right to sign the initiative for all Albanian citizens entitled to vote. The draft law may be interpreted as limiting the possibility to collect signatures in a private space or organise door-to-door collection of signatures, as well as e.g. in political party or NGO events where the interest groups might gather together. Such restriction would be unjustified. The public authorities (mayors) might have the task to provide for premises on an equal basis in case the initiators ask for it, but there should not be an obligation to collect the signatures in these premises. The draft law provides for the CEC to request the mayors to designate such premises, leaving the initiators no choice. The Venice Commission and ODIHR recommend that locations for signatures collection in public space should be discussed and agreed between initiators and local authorities. The draft law should also provide for the possibility of collecting signatures outside of designated public space. More generally, the signature collection process should be open, free from intimidation and devoid of excessive formalism.