Following the electoral campaigns of all political parties participating in the May 11th elections, today Albania enters the period of electoral silence.
On Sunday, more than 3.7 million eligible voters will head to the polls to exercise their right to vote in choosing their parliamentary representatives and determining who will lead the country for the next four years.
Prime Minister Edi Rama is seeking a fourth term, focusing on European integration and securing the EU passport, while Sali Berisha has centered his campaign on economic issues and government corruption.
A notable feature of these elections is the participation of the diaspora vote. According to the Central Election Commission, more than 245,000 individuals have registered to vote from abroad.
The May 11th race includes 11 political parties or coalitions, with candidates listed under both open and closed lists. Each political entity is running with 186 candidates on the CEC’s voting list, 46 of whom are on closed lists.
The State Police has prepared a detailed security plan to ensure that the electoral process proceeds smoothly and without incident.
Over 5,000 police officers have been deployed to safeguard election-related facilities during Sunday’s parliamentary elections, reports A2CNN.
The police have already secured the CEAZ (Zonal Election Administration Commission) offices from the moment election materials were delivered.
On Saturday morning, officers assigned to polling stations will first receive instructions and then be deployed to their designated locations for duty.
Across Albania, 93 electoral facilities house CEAZ commissions, and 5,225 locations will serve as polling stations. These will be secured by the police starting Saturday.
On Sunday, May 11th, voting day, after the handover of the polling stations in the morning, police officers will temporarily withdraw to designated gathering points and return at 7:00 PM to escort the election materials to the CEAZ offices.
