OSCE-ODIHR published its final report on Albania’s parliamentary elections held on 11 May. The report begins by stating: “The 2025 parliamentary elections were competitive and conducted professionally. However, they took place in a highly polarized environment, where contestants did not enjoy equal opportunities.”

The report notes that the ruling party benefited from the extensive use of administrative resources during the campaign. This created an unfair advantage for candidates already in office. OSCE-ODIHR also highlighted other concerns, including reports of vote buying, attempts to improperly influence marginalized voters, and alleged interference by criminal elements in some political parties.

Overall, the report states that voting from abroad was technically well-organized, even though the number of registrations exceeded the expectations of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

For the first time, SPAK established an investigative task force and launched an online platform to report electoral crimes. By 10 May, out of 138 reports on alleged electoral crimes, authorities opened 39 criminal proceedings. Most of these cases involve accusations of active and passive corruption.

Specifically, SPAK initiated eight ex officio proceedings. Cooperation between SPAK, the CEC, and the General Prosecutor’s Office, based on an inter-institutional protocol, enabled the exchange of information related to electoral crimes.