The Democratic Party has decided to participate in the meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform, agreeing to sit at the discussion table despite the tense political climate, protests and chaos that has gripped the country.
Through a statement to the media, the co-chair of the committee from the opposition, Oerd Bylykbashi, confirmed the DP's commitment to presenting concrete proposals, while emphasizing the necessity of implementing the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.
Bylykbashi recalled that time is running out rapidly, as "the Electoral Reform Commission, established a year ago, has entered the last month of its mandate."
According to him, the sole focus of this roundtable should be to eliminate inequality in the competition. “The absolute priority for guaranteeing free and fair elections is to resolve the main problem identified in the OSCE/ODIHR report [...]: guaranteeing equal conditions for electoral competition,” he declared.
To achieve this standard for the May 9, 2027 elections, the opposition is seeking capillary intervention in the state machinery.
Bylykbashi underlined that the solution requires "the real separation of the state from the ruling party, the prohibition of the abuse of power, state resources and public administration in favor of the Socialist Party or any party in power in the future", as well as "the harsh and effective punishment of violators, patronage agents and anyone who commits electoral crimes".
In addition to protecting the vote, the DP also calls for changing the rules of the game through national proportional representation and open lists. "Albania needs a completely new electoral system, where party representation is guaranteed on the basis of national proportional representation, with open lists that allow voters to decide which deputies will represent them," he said.
Despite the opposition's willingness to submit amendments, Bylykbashi leveled strong accusations against the majority for deliberately undermining the consensus.
"In a completely opposite spirit, the Socialist Party has to date addressed issues that do not stem from OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and do not constitute a priority," he said, warning that "this approach of the majority follows the same line of action that led to the deliberate failure of the Territorial Reform Commission to pave the way for unilateral changes to the Electoral Code."
