Denada Jushi
Once every four years, through voting, society chooses for its future, but the culture in Albania has not seen the vote as a representation and voice of everyone. Therefore, we often see it turn into an instrument of buying and selling, contaminating the elections. Albania will hold general elections on May 11, and buying and selling votes is one of the most discussed topics of the campaign. But unlike past campaigns, this year attention has also been focused on an important actor: SPAK.
The Special Prosecution Office has stated since the start of this campaign that it has taken an active role in protecting electoral integrity. But the question that remains is: is this commitment enough to guarantee a free vote and will our country be able to free itself from the shadows that have covered the results of elections every time they are held?
On January 24, 2025, the head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, ordered the establishment of a Task Force for elections. This structure consists of a central unit and investigative teams in all 12 regions of the country, which include prosecutors, BKH investigators and financial investigators. The presented objectives are ambitious: rapid identification of criminal evidence, stopping the influence of organized crime, prosecuting high-ranking officials involved in electoral crime and raising awareness among citizens. With only a few days left until May 11, SPAK has so far opened and registered 115 criminal cases, including: Reports from political entities, referrals from the State Police, complaints from the Online Platform or complaints from citizens. The number of criminal cases from political entities is 25, SPAK says, 35 criminal cases have arrived on the online platform, and 35 criminal proceedings have also been registered.
What does the Task Force foresee?
For "Sinjalizo", SPAK has also revealed the methodology and the way in which this Task Force will operate, which is divided into the central structure on one side and the investigative groups on the other. The investigative groups will report to the central structure and then any information received will be reported to the head of the Prosecution, Altin Dumani. Investigative sources indicate that SPAK is also following cases similar to those of past campaigns. Journalist Eni Ferhati brings to attention the case in the 2019 local elections, where cases were discovered where votes were given in exchange for legalizations or ownership certificates.
Despite the willingness that SPAK is showing to use the flagrante method, Ferhati says that this method is extremely difficult, but the deployment of prosecutors in the field serves more as a form of prevention for such organizations. However, there have been cases. A few days ago, such an investigation was officially transferred to SPAK, as it was related to a structured criminal group that was suspected of buying votes in Lushnje.
Evidence: How the vote-buying scheme works
AD is a 24-year-old who four years ago decided to sell his first vote – this happened through a friend of his.
“I live in the outskirts of Tirana. A friend told me that a political party was offering to pay me if I voted for it. At first I took it as a joke, but then I sent a photo of my ID card, showed them the polling station and they asked me to either photograph my vote if I was given the opportunity, but I had to make no problem on election day or take an ‘oath’ after voting.”
This narrative clearly shows how the process is stripped of any idealistic illusions and places the vote on the ground of bargaining.
And while this is happening in the capital, the reality in the rest of the country is even more problematic.
Voter intimidation, especially in rural areas, remains a serious problem, mentioned for years, but still unresolved. Investigations are complicated and require infiltrations, wiretapping and cooperation of citizens, which is lacking in practice due to fear and lack of trust in justice. Another form that residents of rural areas in the Shkodra region confess is that there are politicians who help for years with arrears, and that they willingly choose to support them during elections in the form of what they call "gratitude".
A problem that is not only legal: The social dimension of vote selling
The sale of votes is not simply a violation of the law, but rather indicates a deeper wound, a phenomenon that has cultural and social roots. In areas where poverty is pronounced, 200 euros can weigh more than a democratic ideal. The lack of trust, underestimation and failure to listen to the citizen has turned this relationship into a relationship of conformity and profit. This is a truth that few institutions say openly, but that every journalist in the field encounters in every election cycle.
SPAK and CEC: Institutional partnership, but how effective?
On February 27, a cooperation protocol was signed between SPAK, the CEC and the General Prosecutor’s Office. This protocol aims to exchange information in real time and prosecute any electoral violations. The CEC has described the vote as “the most direct expression of civic sovereignty.” But when this vote is bought, how much sovereignty remains?
The diaspora is a new field for investigation, for the first time, SPAK has declared that it will also pursue electoral crimes outside Albanian territory. Whether this commitment will translate into concrete results remains to be seen, but it is an important step at a time when the emigrant vote is seen as a key electoral factor. In these elections, 232,613 voters were registered, for which it is still unclear how it will act in cases where there will be abuses with the vote.
However, neither SPAK nor the CEC answered the question of how to proceed in cases abroad. In recent days, quite a few cases of photographing votes and the subjects for which emigrants vote have appeared on social networks.
The vote is protected by law, but it is won with culture
SPAK is on the ground. It has established structures, has strategies, has collaborations. But protecting the vote is not only a legal battle, it is also moral, social and cultural. A vote is sold when people feel forgotten, disappointed and when a sack of flour is worth more than empty electoral promises.
The question that remains for May 11th is: will this be the day when Albania will choose with a free vote or with stuffed envelopes?
This does not depend only on SPAK, but on each of us. Every citizen must be aware that their vote is not for sale, but is a sacred tool that separates freedom from subjugation.
