Lamberto Zannier to lead OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission in Albania
As Albania approaches the May 11 elections, OSCE/ODIHR has begun its electoral observation mission. Lamberto Zannier, a seasoned diplomat, will lead the observer team, which will hold meetings with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Central Election Commission on April 1. Zannier previously served as head of the UNMIK mission in Kosovo (2008-2011) before becoming OSCE Secretary-General (2011-2017). His experience in the region is expected to play a key role in monitoring and assessing Albania’s electoral process.
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Vote recounts finalized in 4 major districts: Democrats lose more ballots than they gained
Published on July 6, 2025
Why is this important: Ironically, the Democratic Party that challenged the results turned out to have gained the most from inaccurate vote counts. The recounts revealed that PD had benefitted from more misallocated votes than any other political force. Although these discrepancies were attributed by the CEC to human error by ballot counters, they have not changed the final result or the number of parliamentary seats awarded. In some cases, votes appeared to have been shifted between candidates from the same party, raising fresh concerns about internal vote trafficking.
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