Monday, May 22, 2017

Today, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, Claus Neukirch, attended a voting exercise in Tirana held by seniors of Ismail Qemali High School . The exercise was organized within the framework of a project of the Academy of Political Studies for the education of first-time voters for the 25 June elections. The purpose of this visit was to observe the exercise and to raise awareness of the importance of voting to the students and youth attending. In addition, topics such as voter integrity and best practices were also discussed in light of the negative voting practices carried out in the previous election.   In his address to the students, Neukirch stressed that every vote counts, as sometimes the outcome may well depend on just few votes. He urged the students to follow the electoral campaign actively and make an informed choice on Election Day. Following this speech, the students then engaged in a mock voting process, held within the school's premises.
The director of the Academy of Political Studies, Erjon Tase, thanked the Council of Europe and the Swiss Embassy in Albania for financing the First Voters programme and thanked the Ministry of Education and Sport and the Central Election Commission for their invaluable cooperation. "Beyond the right to vote, you must be all attentive to avoid violations and wrongdoings that may be proposed to you. Being the young generation, we hope that you will influence also on your families as to not sell or delegate their vote", concluded Mr Tase.     For further information and pictures from this exercise, please visit the programme’s website www.zgjedhjet.asp.al or the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ndergjegjesimi.votuesve