How much do elections cost in Albania?
The general parliamentary elections in Albania, in addition to being an important political process, are also associated with a high cost for the state budget, which in this electoral process is increasing also because for the first time, Albanian citizens in the diaspora are given the opportunity to vote.
The government has allocated a total budget of approximately 3.7 billion lek or 38 million euros to the Central Election Commission for the organization of the general parliamentary elections on May 11, 2025.
The Central Election Commission has clarified that the majority of the budget was used for biometric voter identification, which includes electronic equipment for all polling stations (over 5,200 of them). Voting materials, logistics for transporting electoral materials to every corner of the country, including difficult geographical areas. Training and payments for over 24,000 employees, including commissioners, observers and support staff. Voter awareness campaign, extended to national and local media.
According to the Electoral Code, a portion of the budget has gone to political parties to cover electoral campaign costs. The funds are distributed based on previous electoral performance, favoring the main parties.
The amount of funds from the state budget that have been distributed to political parties participating in the parliamentary elections, dated May 11, 2025, is approximately 1.3 million euros.
Specifically, the Socialists have benefited from 65 million Lekë, while the DP has benefited from 44 million Lekë. 9 million Lekë went to the Freedom Party, 3 million Lekë was made available to the Social Democratic Party, while 2.6 million was made available to the Republican Party.
On the other hand, a significant cost is associated with the diaspora vote. The total budget spent to give immigrants the opportunity to vote in these elections for the first time is estimated at around 15.9 million euros.
Compared to the 2021 parliamentary elections, the total cost has increased by about 54%, a fact that the CEC attributes to legal changes and technological improvements, as well as the vote of emigrants. The General Elections of April 25, 2021, are estimated to have had a total cost of 17.7 million euros.
But why are these choices more expensive?
The increase in the cost of conducting the electoral process has been influenced by several main factors. The first is related to the implementation of biometric voter identification technology, which requires advanced equipment, maintenance, and training for commissioners.
Printing and distributing election materials to over 3.5 million registered voters.
Rising logistical costs, including transportation, rental of polling station facilities, and energy and security expenses.
As well as the awareness campaign for citizen participation, spread throughout the territory, aiming for higher participation than in past processes.
The Central Election Commission has collaborated with international partners to guarantee high standards of security and transparency. Around 24,000 temporary workers have been engaged across the country, including members of polling station commissions and technical support staff.
To ensure the integrity of the process, digital monitoring systems have been installed in a select number of polling stations, while there will be international observers from the OSCE/ODIHR and other organizations.
Although many experts emphasize the importance of investing in democracy, some critical voices have raised concerns about the continued increase in costs.
The 2025 elections are expected to be an important test not only for political parties, but also for the institutions that guarantee the democratic process. The financial cost is high, but is considered by the CEC as a “necessary investment to guarantee a free, equal and secure vote.”
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