Information and Data Protection Commissioner, Mr. Besnik Dervishi, and the State Election Commissioner, Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi, within the framework of the election campaign, inform the citizens of the Republic of Albania that both institutions remain committed to the rigorous monitoring of the period before and during the election campaign. In this regard, they appeal to voters, political parties, organizations, and other parties involved in this process to exercise caution in complying with the law regarding the administration and processing of personal data in the context of electoral activities.

We consider it our primary duty to ensure that the fundamental rights of citizens are respected at every step by implementing the Electoral Code, Law No. 124/2024 “On the Protection of Personal Data,” and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.’

1. Any processing of personal data must be based on clear legal criteria that are understandable to citizens. Citizens must be clearly informed about how and for what purpose their data will be processed.
2. Political parties and relevant organizations must collect and process only the data that is absolutely necessary for voter registration purposes.
3. Collected data must be protected with appropriate technical and organizational measures to prevent unauthorized access, destruction, or misuse.
4. Data collected for registration purposes must not be used for other purposes, such as political propaganda, without obtaining the informed consent of the citizen.
5. Political parties and relevant organizations must be held accountable for any violations of data protection principles and must be open to supervision by competent authorities.

The implementation of personal data protection principles helps strengthen the integrity of elections and maintain trust in democratic processes.

Considering the potential risks posed by the unlawful processing of voters’ personal data, we encourage citizens and electoral subjects to file complaints with the Information and Dara Protection Commissioner’s Office in cases where they identify violations or breaches of personal data.

This process is carried out by first completing the complaint form, which is available on the official website of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data at https://idp.al/ankohu/, and then submitting it via email to info@idp.al, by official mail, or physically at the offices of this institution.

For more information, the Office of the Commissioner has drafted and published the guide “On the Processing of Personal Data in the Context of Election Campaigns.”

This guide provides electoral subjects with guidance on how to ensure the protection of voters’ personal data.

This process is carried out by first completing the complaint form, which is available on the official website of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data at https://idp.al/ankohu/, and then submitting it via email to info@idp.al, by official mail, or physically at the offices of this institution.

For more information, the Office of the Commissioner has drafted and published the guide “On the Processing of Personal Data in the Context of Election Campaigns.”

This guide provides electoral subjects with guidance on how to ensure the protection of voters’ personal data.

https://www.idp.al/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Udhezues_Faqosur-4-prill.pdf