CEC warns the mayors, Zguri: Artificial transfer of voters, unlawful

CEC warns the mayors, Zguri: Artificial transfer of voters, unlawful

The Central Election Commission Chair, Klement Zguri, has warned mayors and Civil Law Office Officials that they will be prosecuted if they organize fictitious registrations for the June 30th elections.

During a media statement, Klement Zguri said that this phenomenon, which has been observed in past elections, can now be easily verifiable and will be monitored.

He stated, “In the previous election processes the Central Election Commission has not only observed, but in fact, has ascertained that in some Municipalities of the country the phenomenon of artificial residence transfers among supporters of those who run as candidates for Mayor have themselves participated in an illegal activity regarding the results of the voting process. Many candidates in the past have benefited from this via votes from these artificial voters.

“The artificial alteration of one's residence is a pure misuse of duty, which has serious consequences on the democratic system as it affects the elected government. Many voters vote artificially and they are unjustly deleted from the current list.

“The Central Election Commission will denounce all mayors and heads of the civil registry offices whenever faced with these hard facts as soon as we can verify such a situation is occurring and without waiting for the completion of the election process,” stated Klement Zguri.

Zguri called upon Edi Rama and Lulzim Basha to declare themselves against this phenomenon.

He stated: “That is why I invite the majority and the opposition leaders to publicly declare themselves against it, in order to remove any political support from this form of illegal-influencing.

“The June 30th elections are a very important implementation for democracy, but this time around they are more than just that, they are proof for Albania in its process of integration into the European Union.” 

Meanwhile, for voters there was an appeal to check the names on the electoral list.

“We call on voters to check the names on the electronic voter list off of the CEC’s official website.

Zguri went on to state: “Until May 21st, 2019, there is a possibility to address any concerns to the civil registry offices to specify their records. After this date the lists become final. Voters who do not have their name on the list can only vote by a court decision.

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