Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TIRANA212
2009-04-06 14:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tirana
Cable title:  

WILL ELECTORAL GREMLINS THWART ELECTION DAY?

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PREL AL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTI #0212 0961457
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 061457Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8015
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2472
C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000212 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL AL
SUBJECT: WILL ELECTORAL GREMLINS THWART ELECTION DAY?

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN L. WITHERS II FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d
).

C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000212

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL AL
SUBJECT: WILL ELECTORAL GREMLINS THWART ELECTION DAY?

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN L. WITHERS II FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d
).


1. (C) During a meeting with Ambassador, the Chairman of the
Central Election Commission, Arben Ristani, brushed aside
many concerns or difficulties involved with implementing the
new Electoral Code, saying that his main worries were over
the election's budget and with the lists of party delegates
who would serve on the Electoral Commissions. According to
Ristani, in the past the parties change these names several
times in the lead up to the elections, making it difficult to
have trained, capable individuals ready for Election Day.


2. (C) More interestingly, Ristani said he feared the real
problems would start when the counting begins. Warning that
trust is the most lacking element in the electoral system, he
said that if one side senses it is losing in a particular
region, it could do something as simple as hide the official
"wet seal," making the ballots ineligible to be counted. He
said this type of behavior has occurred in the past as the
party that senses it is losing starts to "act crazy" and
begins fistfights, steals things, and causes mayhem. In
2007, for example, he said one community held elections three
times but each time the results had to be voided because the
losing side kept breaking open the ballot box, thereby
voiding all the ballots. The political climate, according to
Ristani, is largely to blame for this behavior; however he
also blamed the Prosecutor's Office because it has never
prosecuted any of these electoral miscreants. Finally, he
expects that counting on Election Day could begin around 2200
or 2300 in a best case scenario.

3. (C) Comment: Ristani, well traveled and highly educated,
was put in place by the DP. While he knows who his
benefactor is, he does seem committed to a fair process. His
concerns about chaos in the counting centers are telling and
could indicate that with all the focus on the flawed ID card
process, other issues are being ignored. Indeed, Ristani
never even mentioned ID cards. SP officials have admitted
that the ID cards are taking up most of their time even
though they have serious concerns about nearly the entire
voting and counting process. It is also noteworthy that
something as simple as a missing "wet seal" or, more
seriously, hooligans breaking ballot boxes, could potentially
void many votes. These will no doubt add to the already
inevitable controversies that will surround the counting
process. It is liable to be a long night on June 28.
WITHERS