In a sobering setback for Albania’s efforts to enfranchise its diaspora, not a single voting envelope reached Tirana on Monday, an unprecedented failure attributed to low turnout volumes and logistical bottlenecks, particularly in Greece. The international courier DHL, which oversees ballot delivery, did not dispatch a flight due to an insufficient number of returned envelopes.
This electoral experiment, intended to bolster diaspora inclusion ahead of Albania’s anticipated EU accession talks, is now confronting serious challenges in its final week. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), only 144,700 ballots have been received thus far, representing just 58% of the total registered diaspora voters. Approximately 24,000 voters have yet to receive their ballot packages.
Greece: The Achilles’ Heel of the Diaspora Vote
Nowhere is the dysfunction more acute than in neighbouring Greece, home to Albania’s largest emigrant population. Of the 68,300 eligible voters residing in Greece, only 23,600 have returned their ballots, just over one-third.
On the Greek islands, the situation is especially precarious. Voters have until Tuesday afternoon to cast their ballots before postal services cease collection. On the mainland, the final deadline is Friday, May 9, with voters required to travel in person to postal offices, collect their envelopes, vote on-site, and return them immediately—a labour-intensive process in a country with dispersed rural populations.
Meanwhile, thousands of uncollected packages elsewhere in the world are slated to be returned to Albania by Thursday, May 8, unless claimed. The CEC attributes the shortfall to a mix of outdated contact details, including inactive Albanian phone numbers and email addresses, as well as errors in address submissions, barriers that have impeded DHL and its local partners, Speedex and Courier Center, from successfully delivering ballots.
Rama`s Rhetoric: A Political Push Amid Operational Lags
Rather than implementing emergency administrative measures, Prime Minister Edi Rama has taken a political approach to the crisis. In a series of public appeals, Rama urged diaspora voters in Greece to act swiftly, declaring that 85% of ballot packages had now been successfully delivered and that the onus was on citizens to “seize the moment.”
“This is your chance to vote for a European Albania,” he declared, calling on voters not to delay. He specifically addressed those on the islands, warning them of the imminent deadline, and implored mainland voters to consider this a “meeting with history.” Rama also linked the diaspora vote to wider policy objectives, particularly the long-delayed recognition of pensions for Albanian workers in Greece. Framing EU membership as a vehicle for bilateral agreements, he argued that only through an empowered, European-aligned Albania could emigrants secure equal pension rights.
Disinformation and Distrust
As ballot returns falter, the atmosphere has been further inflamed by allegations of electoral interference. A video circulated by opposition figures appeared to show tampered envelopes, prompting accusations of voter fraud. Rama dismissed the footage as fabricated, likening it to a “swamp owl’s shriek” and accusing the opposition of orchestrating a smear campaign. “They claim envelopes were intercepted, but they could’ve simply picked them up from their own mailbox,” he said, suggesting the opposition was engaged in theatrical misdirection rather than substantive critique.
A Broader Democratic Test
While the diaspora vote was designed to be a symbolic milestone in Albania’s democratic evolution, it is now exposing deeper systemic fragilities. Despite digital registration systems and international courier partnerships, the logistical infrastructure underpinning the vote appears overwhelmed—especially in complex regions like the Greek archipelago.
What was intended as a democratic bridge between the homeland and its global diaspora is, in practice, revealing the limits of administrative preparedness, voter outreach, and political accountability.
As the window for ballot returns narrows, the process now hinges more on individual initiative than institutional efficiency. For many voters, especially in Greece, that may simply be too high a barrier. And for Albania’s democratic ambitions, the failure to deliver a functional, inclusive voting system to its diaspora may cast a long shadow over future electoral reforms—especially as EU scrutiny intensifies.
Written by our correspondent A.T.
