NATO to send "election monitors to Albania"

27/05/2009

BRUSSELS, Belgium. NATO's Parliamentary Assembly has decided to send observers to monitor next month's general elections in Albania. Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli had asked for wider monitoring of the elections during a recent session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Oslo.

Topalli says free and fair elections are the main challenge for Albania and a crucial prerequisite for EU membership. In other news Tuesday, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said the campaign in Albania is "polarised" between the two main political parties, the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition Socialist Party.

In its first report on the election process, the ODIHR said the effort to issue new electronic ID cards has been plagued by problems and delays which may pose a threat to compliance with international standards. ODHIR monitors also noted that some parties launched their campaigns days ahead of the official start, later this week.