Giro D'Italia tomorrow in Vlora / PS requested postponement of voting hours, DP against: Electoral process absolute priority

The DP opposes the request of the SP submitted to the CEC to postpone the voting hours in several centers in the city of Vlora, due to the development of the "Giro d'Italia" sports activity.

In a letter sent to Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi, the DP states that it is categorically against this proposal.

"This activity, organized by the current government itself on the most critical days of the election campaign, including the day of silence and now even election day, has a clear propaganda character and serves more for electoral and promotional purposes."

"Spending over 7 million euros of public funds for such a spectacle, and then requesting a postponement of the voting schedule to accommodate the agenda of this event, is an unacceptable abuse of the electoral process," the DP's letter to the CEC states.

The DP further states that for two consecutive days, free movement in the territory of Tirana has been prohibited, opposition political activities have been prevented, and political entities have been denied the constitutional right to communicate with citizens on crucial days of the campaign. This precedent violates the fundamental principles of a free and fair electoral process.

"Our position is clear: elections cannot be adjusted to the government's propaganda schedule. It is the electoral process that must have absolute priority. If sporting activity conflicts with the regularity of elections, then the responsibility falls on the organizers and not on citizens or electoral institutions."

Moreover, such an intervention, requested by the SP just hours before the elections, undermines the credibility of the process and sets a dangerous precedent for the future. This is not simply a matter of timing – it is a matter of democratic principle and standard.

"DP-ASHM strongly demands that the SP's request not be taken into consideration by the Central Election Commission. Any decision in this regard would be considered by us as an unacceptable interference in the equality of the competition and a serious undermining of the integrity of the elections not only in the city of Vlora, but in the entire region," the DP's response states.