Among them are delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE (PA OSCE), the European Parliament, the OSCE/ODIHR, and the US Embassy, the Albanian Post reported.
A total of 500 international observers are expected to be deployed across the country, with 1,600 local observers.
The US diplomatic mission in Tirana has officially confirmed its participation in the election observation missions.
"The United States is closely following the parliamentary elections in Albania, including participation in election observation missions," a representative of the embassy said.
"Free and fair elections in which all citizens have the right to vote are essential to democracy and freedom of expression, values that the United States and Albania share," the US embassy added.
The US Federal Election Commission has declined to send a delegation to Albania for the parliamentary elections.
"I am not aware of any plans for a representative of the US Federal Election Commission to travel to Albania for the parliamentary elections this month. However, it is possible that agencies or other representatives of the US government will participate," said a representative of the US Federal Election Commission.
In response to an invitation to observe the parliamentary elections in Albania, the ODIHR sent an election observation mission (EOM) to these elections.
The ODIHR EOM, led by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, consists of 12 international experts based in Tirana.
In addition, 26 long-term observers from 14 participating States have been deployed throughout the country since April 10.
The mission will assess the elections in accordance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards, as well as with national legislation.
Observers will pay particular attention to the legal framework and administration of the elections, candidate registration, the conduct of the election campaign, the resolution of election-related disputes, campaign finance rules, as well as the media environment and election coverage.
They will also assess the extent to which previous EUMM recommendations regarding the elections have been implemented.
The EUMM called for the immediate deployment of 300 short-term observers ahead of the May 11 elections.
The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two, who will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, ballot counting, and the announcement of results.
Around 100 observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly from 31 countries will also be deployed to Albania for the parliamentary elections, the institution announced in an official statement.
The special coordinator and head of the OSCE short-term observation mission will be Farah Karimi, who is the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's special representative for Central Asia and chair of the Dutch delegation.
She has previously led other election observation missions for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, most recently in Serbia in 2023.
The head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly observer delegation will be Björn Söder, who is the head of the Swedish delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
The observers will be fully briefed by representatives of the electoral administration and civil society, candidates, party representatives, and experts on the situation prior to the elections before being deployed to certain regions of Albania to observe election day.
Karimi and Söder revealed details of their mission for the elections, which are taking place in a "historic context," referring to the diaspora vote.
"Our presence is a sign of the importance of electoral transparency and democratic accountability, especially for countries on the path to EU accession, such as Albania," Farah Karimi emphasized.
On the other hand, Söder believes that the presence is "a demonstration of international solidarity and support for Albania's democratic path."
A delegation of 21 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Italian MP Simone Bille, is observing the elections on May 11.
The cross-party delegation will meet with candidates or representatives of political parties participating in the elections, as well as with the heads of the Central Election Commission and Albania's main anti-corruption body, and with representatives of NGOs and the media, before observing the vote on May 11, according to the official statement.
Two members of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts, will provide legal advice during the visit.
European Parliament
In addition to the election observation missions of the OSCE/ODIHR, PACE and the OSCE PA, a delegation from the European Parliament will also be present.
The delegation observing the May 11 vote is headed by German MEP Michael Gahler of the CDU, part of the European People's Party.
The delegation will include the European Parliament's rapporteur on Albania, Andreas Schieder, Greek MEP Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, Portuguese MEP Isabel Viseiro-Lima, Czech MEP Nikola Bartušek, and Italian MEP Alberico Gambino.
The four delegations will publish their preliminary conclusions at a joint press conference at 12:00 on May 12. | BGNES