Prime Minister Edi Rama chaired an online meeting of the Diaspora Coordination Council to discuss progress of the process that would enable the migrants’ voting rights granted under the new electoral reform, as an expression of the ruling majority’s political and pre-electoral program commitment.

“First and foremost, this is a public and program-based commitment each of us has made. Secondly, we have worked in the light of this commitment in tandem with the political process, which for many reasons we do not need to go over details, has been delayed in the context of the Electoral Reform in view of the next elections and, third, also to highlight have neither a lack nor a scarcity of political will to achieve this goal, which in our view is of particular importance and is one of the strategic goals related to the environment and the framework on holding elections in Albania,” the Premier said.

However – he went on saying – a comprehensive process is needed to deliver on this commitment. “We are currently in the process of an unprecedented electoral reform, as today we are not two parties but three, and in a way the basis upon which the political parties should agree on the elections is tripartite one: namely the parliamentary majority, on one hand, and a non-parliamentary opposition on the other, as well as a parliamentary opposition. I am emphasizing this because from a numerical point of view, the Code and the Electoral Reform as a whole require a special majority that we do not hold today in terms of numbers in the Assembly of Albania, but in terms of the tradition, we also want to respect the continuity of a comprehensive process. Of course, in the current context this process would imply an understanding among the three parties, on our part as a majority with two other political poles, which, despite being a product of the same party or same source of choice, they still show extreme divergent views. Surely, no obvious divergences have emerged when it comes to migrants’ voting rights, yet no agreement is in place as of today,” PM Rama noted.

The co-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Electoral Reform, Damian Gjiknuri, also member of the Political Council, said that the election legislation and infrastructure to enable the migrants’ vote is ready. “Given the existing legislation, which stipulates for the migrants’ vote to take place only under a provisional functioning register on the data and address of each emigrant for reasons you know quite well that the voter list in Albania is generated by the Registry Civil and therefore, the government passed a law, the online applications became necessary and the infrastructure is already in place. We decided that pursuant to the Electoral Code the detailed voting procedures by mail or electronically be delegated to the Central Election Commission,” Gjiknuri explained.

On his part, Pandeli Majko, the Minister of State for the Diaspora, said this is a crucial moment of a structural reform in the Electoral Code. “The ruling majority is totally committed and the migrants’ voting will become a reality starting next parliamentary elections to allow every Albanian national living and working abroad cast their vote. Their constitutional right is indisputable. Their right should not pose any problem to the discussions for a possible compromise, especially when both the non-parliamentary and the parliamentary opposition have expressed their support for the voting rights of the Albanian citizens living abroad,” Majko said.

Members of the Diaspora Coordination council said that the migrants’ vote in the Albania elections is a 30-year-old dream. “First of all, I consider very important the efforts that have been made to date and, as you already stated, if the voting right of the Albanian citizens living abroad is granted this would fulfil long-standing dream of the Albanian Diaspora. I would like to congratulate efforts of the political parties and their readiness to deliver on this project,” said Sokrat Sinaj, a representative of the Albanian Diaspora in Switzerland.

On his part Lazim Destani, member of the Diaspora Council in Germany, said this offers an even greater incentive for the commitment of the Diaspora in Albania. “Albania was hit by two serious natural disasters, the earthquake, as well as the coronavirus. We strongly believe we will involve more actively in developing the economy and investments. For this reason, the Diaspora’s right to vote would be more necessary, as it would make Albanians feel equal,” he said.

On the other hand, the Premier reiterated that the governing majority will do whatever it takes to gain the opposition’s accord on this respect. “An agreement has been reached, although it offers nothing new regarding the electoral reform. Quite the opposite, the agreement indeed represents a backward step if we are to talk about the future, yet it is a positive agreement has provided the basis for the involvement and consensus of the non-parliamentary opposition. An initiative launched by the parliamentary opposition will enter into force today or tomorrow and their request includes an open-lists system and banning the pre-electoral coalitions. In the meantime, it is time to finalize the process concerning the migrants’ voting rights, which we have strongly supported from the very beginning. We cannot wait indefinitely for a consensus, yet a cross-party consensus on this issue would be the best solution,” he stated.

PM Rama invited the Diaspora representatives to monitor the voting process of migrants in the elections. “I think that the main contribution you can provide and you should actually provide is your involvement in the election observation mechanism, because it is completely a different thing when the government or a party claims that this mechanism is guaranteed and it doesn’t leave room for votes rigging and manipulations, and it is something else when an independent eye like yours confirms it, saying the process in technical aspect is guaranteed,” PM Rama said.

As far as the registration process of the Albanian citizens who live and work abroad, PM Rama said the U.S. model will be applied. “The system we are working on will be a very simple one, an open source to everyone who wishes to register in the elections, just like it is the case in the United States when voters express their desire to cast their ballot by registering and a voters list will be generated based on that register which will be fully compatible with the voters list generated by the Civil Registry Office in the country. Whole mechanism is expected to be in place in the next few weeks. We are committed and determined to do our maximum, and whether the maximum is granting or not the migrants’ right to vote in the 2021 general elections this is going to be decided and finalized in the next few weeks,” PM Rama said in his remarks.