Right to appoint observer

(points 1 and 4 amended and point 3 repealed by Law No.74/2012, dated 19 July 2012; words replaced in the first sentence of point 1; words amended in point 6 by Law No. 118/2020, dated 5 October 2020)

1. Any political entity that is registered with the CEC as an electoral subject shall have the right to appoint one observer to the CEAZ, the VCC, and to each table of the Ballot Counting Centre after the registration of the candidate/s for the respective electoral zone or after submitting a multi-name list. In the event of political parties participating in elections as a coalition, the right to appoint observers shall solely rest with the coalition. The coalition may appoint no more than three representatives per coalition. Political party candidates shall not have the right to appoint observers.

2. Albanian and foreign non-governmental organisations, international organisations specialised or engaged in the area of good governance and democratisation, as well as representatives of foreign countries and of the media shall have the right to send observers to the elections.

3. Repealed.

4. Accreditation of observers to electoral commissions shall be conducted on the grounds of individual data for each observer. The accreditation may include one or more voting centres or one or more electoral zones. An Albanian non-governmental organisation or a coalition of such organisations, a political party, or a candidate proposed by voters, may not have more than one observer present at the same time in a voting centre. Any foreign non-governmental organisation and international organisations may not have more than two foreign observers at the same time in a voting centre. In the event of political parties participating in elections as a coalition, the right to appoint observers shall solely rest with the coalition. The coalition may appoint no more than three representatives per coalition.

5. Requests of Albanian observers for accreditation shall be submitted to the CEC no later than 15 days before the election date. The CEC shall approve requests no later than 5 days from their submission. Requests by foreign observers shall be submitted to the CEC no later than 72 hours before the election date. The CEC shall approve requests of foreign observers within 24 hours from their submission. An appeal against refusal or failure to grant accreditation may be filed, in accordance with the procedures provided for in this Code.

6. The CEC shall have the right to delegate CEAZs the competency of accrediting observers, through special instruction, in accordance with point 1 of this Article.