Deadline closes for Albanian diaspora voter registration, 294,155 applications submitted

At midnight on Tuesday, the deadline for Albanians abroad to register for the May 11 elections officially ended. The Central Election Commission’s (KQZ) Regulatory Commission denied a request from two political parties to extend the registration period by five additional days. The Socialist Party, unlike the Democratic Party, proposed that the extension be limited only to assisting applicants whose submissions were rejected due to errors or missing documents, allowing them to reapply correctly. By the close of registration, a total of 294,155 Albanian emigrants had applied to vote from abroad, though 42,000 applications were rejected.

Why is this important: This is the first time Albanian emigrants will vote from the countries where they live and work. Registered voters come from 107 countries, and the ballots will be sent via an international postal service, which the KQZ has yet to select. The online registration process closed at midnight, finalizing the 294,155 applications submitted by diaspora voters.

Context: Thousands of Albanians rushed to register in the final hours, with over 13,000 new applications submitted on Tuesday alone. At the moment the system closed, 53 applicants were still in the process of submitting their forms.

The KQZ is currently reviewing approximately 18,000 last-minute applications, while 233,000 voters have already been approved, and 42,000 applications have been rejected.

58% of applicants are male, while 42% are female.

Voters aged 18-25, including first-time voters, showed low participation, likely due to many having been born abroad without Albanian citizenship documents.

Only 17% of applications came from voters aged 56 and older, possibly due to technology barriers.

The highest engagement (52%) came from voters aged 25-45.

The Tirana district has the largest share of registered diaspora voters, with 50,000 approved applications. Following Tirana, the top regions are Fier with 31,000 applications and Durrës with 24,000 applications.

Meanwhile, Dibër, Gjirokastër, and Kukës have recorded the lowest number of registered voters, with Kukës totaling fewer than 4,000 diaspora applications despite sizeable migration.

In early April, the KQZ will begin sending ballots to registered diaspora voters via mail, ensuring delivery to the addresses provided during registration.