How are the contestants divided by districts?
The Parliamentary Elections of May 11th mark an important moment for Albanian democracy, not only because of the political importance they carry, but also because of the new electoral system that is being implemented for the first time. Meanwhile, in this electoral process, citizens will have the opportunity to vote not only for the party, but also for individual candidates, thanks to the mixed list system, where one third of the list remains closed, while two thirds are open.
Political parties have nominated candidates for Albania's 12 regions, including well-known political figures and new names in politics. A total of 2,046 candidates will be running for 140 seats in the Albanian Parliament in the parliamentary elections on May 11. But how are they distributed across the regions?
The Central Election Commission has determined the distribution of mandates for each district. The Tirana district has been assigned 37 mandates, of which 12 will come from closed lists and 25 from open lists. The Fier district, as the second district after Tirana, has 16 deputy mandates, of which 5 are from secure lists, and 11 are from open lists. Meanwhile, the Durrës and Elbasan districts have been assigned 14 mandates, of which 5 are from closed lists, and 9 from open lists.
In Vlora, 12 mandates have been assigned, of which 4 will be on the closed list and 8 on the open list. The Central Election Commission has assigned 4 mandates on secure lists and 7 on open lists for the Shkodra region. The Korça region will be represented in the next parliament with 10 mandates, of which 3 will be on the closed list and 7 on the open list. While the Lezha and Berat regions will have 7 mandates each, of which 2 will come from the closed lists and 5 from the open list.
The Dibra region will have the fewest seats, with 5 seats, 2 on closed lists and 3 on open lists, and the Gjirokastra region with 4 seats, 1 on a closed list and 3 on an open list. The Kukës region will also have the fewest seats, with 3 seats, 1 on a closed list and 2 on an open list.
Due to the high number of candidates in the districts, one of the challenges of the Central Election Commission for this electoral process was the ballot paper. In the main districts, the physical dimensions of the ballot paper have increased significantly, with Tirana having 539 candidates on one sheet, Fier having 231 candidates, while Durrës and Elbasan have 209 candidates each.
The ballot paper will have dimensions of 58.3 cm by 29.7 cm in all districts, becoming a challenge for the citizen in the voting process. However, the high number of candidates is an indicator of democratic vitality, but on the other hand it creates confusion, mainly for the elderly, as well as visual fatigue in the large districts mentioned above. The high number of candidates, on the other hand, shows more competition, more actors as a sign that Albanian democracy is entering a new phase.
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