HOW TO STEAL AN ELECTION, ALBANIAN STYLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000360

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KCRM PHUM PREL AL
SUBJECT: HOW TO STEAL AN ELECTION, ALBANIAN STYLE

REF: A. TIRANA 392

B. TIRANA 247 AND PREVIOUS

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


1. (C) Summary: Although the conduct of Albanian elections
has shown steady improvement over the years, ODIHR election
assessments since 1996 read at times like a how-to guide for
flawed and rigged elections. Allegations of vote buying,
bribery of electoral commissioners, fraudulent voter IDs,
voter intimidation, and even violence have marred many
previous elections. Although this election cycle has been
fairly quiet so far - both ODIHR interim assessments have
been generally positive - members of the opposition
Socialist Party (SP) allege daily that the ruling Democratic
Party (DP) is planning to steal the election (but offering
little evidence to back the claim). The ruling Democratic
Party (DP) also alleges fraud on the part of the SP - also
with little supporting evidence. In order to get a better
feel for what form these "frauds" might take, Post spoke with
several SP and DP candidates, and civil society
representatives to get a better feel for what a rigged
election might look like. It is important to note, however,
that ODIHR and other observers have seen no credible evidence
as of yet of concerted plans or efforts to manipulate the
upcoming parliamentary elections by either side. Sadly, as
this cable was being drafted, a DP activist was killed by an
SP activist with an AK-47 outside of Durres in a squabble
over campaign posters. PM Berisha and SP Leader Edi Rama
both condemned the act and appealed for calm. End summary.

It All Began in 1996. . .
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2. (C) The blatantly rigged 1996 parliamentary contest marks
the low point for Albanian elections. Marred by serious
irregularities including violence, ballot stuffing, police
intimidation of opposition candidates and incompetent
election administration, the elections were a disaster, and
led in part to the collapse of civil order one year later.
The masterminds of the rigged 1996 Democratic Party victory
were then-President (now PM) Sali Berisha, and then-Ministry
of Interior official (now Deputy Interior Minister) Ferdinand
Poni. The fact that Berisha is once again the head of
government, with Poni now in charge of ID cards, has many in
the SP worried that history will repeat itself with these
elections. In a sad development that occurred as this cable
was being drafted, a DP activist was shot and killed by an SP
activist in a dispute over campaign posters near Durres.
Both PM Berisha and SP leader Edi Rama have condemned the act
and appealed for calm.

JUST DROP THIS BALLOT IN THE BOX PLEASE
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3. (C) One tactic, used both in Albania and around the world
to rig elections, is known as "carousel voting" and goes like
this: early on Election Day morning, one "militant" will
remove an empty ballot from the polling center. (Note:
Militant is the preferred nomenclature for hardcore party
activists or anyone involved in electoral mischief. End
note.) This militant will then fill out the ballot with a
vote cast for whichever party he supports. He will then give
the ballot to a prospective voter outside the voting center
and promise him ALL 5,000 (USD 50) if he puts the completed
ballot in the box and returns the empty blank ballot issued
to him in the voting center to him. The process is repeated
throughout the day and across the country. In other versions
of this scheme, less charitable militants will not offer you
money but will threaten to beat you up or cause you to lose
your job if you do not comply with the plan. This plan is
practically foolproof as you are handing someone a previously
completed ballot and receiving the empty ballot back, thus
not allowing for any deviation once in the ballot booth.

WOULD YOU LIKE A BALLOT WITH YOUR PIZZA?
--------------


4. (C) Another technique, used to great effect in prior
elections, according to some of Post's contacts, is to have
filled-in ballots delivered with pizzas to counting centers
on election day. These ballots are then dropped into the
ballot boxes and counted as valid votes. Apparently no one
checks if a polling center counts more votes than there are
people on the voter registry, however this could change this
year. Commissioners have also been know to receive "fees,"
sometimes up to EUR 500, to "close their eyes" for several
minutes during the counting process to allow the militants to
do their dirty work. Video cameras have been mandated by the
new electoral code to combat this type of behavior, but it is
easy to imagine them being switched off briefly, someone
"accidentally" blocking the camera, or tricks being pulled
outside of the cameras' view. Both parties this year have
alleged that the other side is bribing or planning to pay off
electoral commissioners this year, although no one has of yet
offered any proof of said scheme.

MY NAME IS EDI OR BARDI OR VJOSA OR ARDI
--------------


5. (C) Yet another ploy is multiple voting. According to
this scheme, someone will try to vote several times in a
district or region using the same identity papers. A bit
more complex are schemes where people could obtain multiple
voter IDs. Under this plan, militants will apply for and
receive IDs for people who are known to be out of the
country, are dead, or are not planning to vote for whatever
reason. The IDs will all have the same picture on them,
matching the militant's face, but will have different names
and personal information. Although the SP firmly believes
that such a scheme is possible, ID card producer Aleat and
the Interior Ministry claim it is not, and point to the fact
that biometric controls on the new ID cards have stopped at
least eleven attempts by voters to get multiple IDs using
phony identification documents.


6. (C) Nevertheless, manipulation of the ID cards remains
the SP's biggest single worry next to the large-scale
disenfranchisement of non-passport holders (reftels). A
senior SP official told PolOff on June 11 that the GOA had
purposely delayed the rollout of ID registration centers in
"five key areas." The delay, he alleged, is causing a
last-minute rush for IDs in those areas, and the
better-organized, better-funded DP is in a stronger position
to get IDs quickly to its supporters, while SP and other
voters struggle. But on June 11 a DP official told PolOff
that SP local officials were purposely hindering the issuance
of ID cards to voters in parts of Tirana. Neither the DP nor
SP officials offered any proof to back their claims.

SEE, I VOTED DP! DON,T FIRE ME!
--------------


7. (C) The current Albanian patronage system is so entrenched
at all levels that it often leads to voter intimidation. For
example, it is possible for a janitor in a school in Elbasan
to lose his job if the government changes. In the past,
state and municipal employees have been routinely forced to
attend campaign rallies, do campaign work, or vote for a
certain party or risk losing their job. In previous
elections some voters even photographed themselves with their
completed ballot in order to show it to their superiors at
work to prove their loyalty. The threat of losing one's job
for not voting properly is quite real and one SP candidate
said her mother would vote DP just to prevent the havoc that
is caused when a new government comes to power. To add to
the confusion, although the Democratic Party controls the
central government, many local governments are controlled by
the SP or even the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI),
meaning civil servants can be subject to pressure from any
party, depending on where that employee works. ODIHR's
second interim report said ODIHR has received numerous
unverified reports of pressure on state employees and even
school children to attend DP rallies around the country.


8. (C) COMMENT: Certainly the main burden in ensuring a good
election falls on the GOA. However, none of these unsavory
tactics are party specific, and could be and have been used
in the past by any party in an attempt to gain an advantage.
This year both parties have pledged to run a clean campaign,
and PM Berisha has repeatedly "guaranteed" to all who will
listen that this year's election will be Albania's best ever.
However, the stakes are very high for PM Berisha this
election, particularly with the persistent rumors concerning
the involvement of members of Berisha,s own family in the
Gerdec scandal. The winner take all atmosphere that is
Albanian politics also does not help matters and probably
encourages illicit behavior. Furthermore, while party
leaders might not condone fraudulent activities, mid-level
hacks looking to make a name for themselves could attempt to
pull some shenanigans. Although ODIHR has seen little so far
to indicate widespread fraud by any party, the potential is
real, particularly given past deeds by both major parties.
The more than 3,000 observers will need to be paying close
attention on election day.
WITHERS