DHL secures contract to handle Albania’s diaspora ballots

Albania’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has signed a contract with DHL International (Albania) to deliver and collect ballots for nearly 246,000 Albanians registered to vote from abroad in the May 11 general elections. The contract covers the mailing of voting packages and their return to Albania, with an average cost of €37 per voter, excluding VAT.

Why is this important: The total contract value of €9.22 million reflects both the scale and complexity of managing international mail voting. While the CEC invited five postal companies to bid, only DHL submitted an offer, effectively securing the deal by default.

Context: There are 245,975 Albanians officially registered to vote from abroad. However, many eligible voters have been left out due to application errors or documentation issues. To address this, a special complaints mechanism has been established at the Tirana District Court.

From March 21, voters who were denied registration can appeal directly to the court by emailing [email protected]. The appeal process is managed by a commission composed of the court’s chancellor and two chief clerks. Complaints are reviewed and decided upon within 48 hours by randomly selected judges.

While the court has already begun receiving emails, only one formal appeal has been filed so far. Others have been classified as inquiries. To streamline the process, the court is preparing a standard appeal form to help voters submit valid complaints.

What else: This marks the first time Albanian citizens abroad will be able to vote by mail, and the success or failure of the process is likely to set a precedent for future elections.