The disorientation of Albanian citizens against the voting process

Abstract

The purpose of this abstract is to examine the reasons for Albanians' lack of engagement in the electoral process in Albania, as well as the variables that influence this phenomenon. We employed a variety of available sources to achieve this goal, including data from the Central Election Commission, reports from international organizations such as ODIHR, population displacement statistics from INSTAT, and data published in the media and through public opinion polls. In this study, we uncovered several key explanations for Albanians' low participation in elections. A significant component is the public's distrust of governmental institutions. Albanians' trust in politicians and the electoral system has been eroded as a result of numerous corruption scandals and abuses of power during the transition years. This lack of trust is reflected in their voting habits as well as their vote boycott.

Another factor is that the majority of the Albanian population lives overseas. The tremendous migration of Albanians over the years, for both economic and political reasons, has resulted in a sizable number of them remaining absent in their nation of birth during the election season. The inability to vote in their own nation is a substantial barrier to their involvement in the democratic process. Also, the influence factor of the politics of the big parties and political polarization is another reason that affects the lack of participation of Albanians in voting. Many Albanians feel that political parties do not adequately represent their interests and prefer to abstain from voting as a form of protest or indifference regarding current politics. To increase Albanian participation in the electoral process, a number of significant measures must be taken, such as changing the electoral code, administrative division, internal democracy of political parties, and the main element of including the vote of the diaspora, all of which will be addressed in this paper.