![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/logo5.png?resize=516%2C516&ssl=1\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/center>\n\n\n\nIn Elbasan reports indicate that group members have been settling outstanding debts at grocery stores frequented by unemployed families who receive food on credit. They are also reportedly sponsoring electoral events and engaging in acts of coercion or violence against voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Durr\u00ebs, there is concern that rival criminal groups may not only participate in the elections at the request of political actors (parties or candidates) but may also take action to undermine each other\u2019s influence<\/strong> by \u201cinvesting\u201d in politically powerful entities as a means of gaining territorial or economic control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shkod\u00ebr and Fier districts are similarly classified as a high-risk electoral zone<\/strong>, due to the active political ambitions of the party led by Mr. Tom Doshi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Criminal Influence Map for the May 11 Elections:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ultimate goal of the Criminal Groups is:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of these criminal groups, operating in regions such as Durr\u00ebs[ii]<\/a>, Elbasan[iii]<\/a>, Shkoder[iv]<\/a>, Fier[v]<\/a>, and Mal\u00ebsia e Madhe, are believed to have exerted significant influence over the appointment of trusted affiliates to senior positions within state institutions. This influence extends to the governance and management of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), raising concerns about the infiltration of organized crime networks into public administration and the misuse of public resources for criminal or political purposes[vi]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This document presents a series of concerns related to the integrity of the electoral process and the right to vote in the context of May 11th<\/sup>, 2025, Parliamentary Elections, as identified by AIS.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The observations stem from AIS\u2019s long-term monitoring of public expenditures and procurement through our three watchdog and data disclosing platforms<\/em><\/strong>: Open Procurement Albania<\/a>; Open Spending Albania<\/a>; Open Corporates Albania<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n During the 2017 elections, AIS implemented the ICT for Fair Elections<\/em> project, which tracked and mapped electoral violations based on citizen reports. Unfortunately, this initiative is not active for the 2025 elections due to a lack of funding (Raise Voice Albania \u2013 Make Elections Count <\/em>Za’Lart 2017<\/em><\/a> <\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This report also draws on journalistic investigations and media content<\/strong>, particularly from journalists specializing in anti-corruption issues. AIS maintains strong partnerships with investigative journalists, supporting and empowering them through access to well-structured and Open DataBases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #OpenProcurementAlbania<\/strong><\/a> #SpendingDataAlbania<\/strong><\/a> #ElectoralProcess2025<\/strong><\/a> #AlbaniaElections<\/strong><\/a> #Zgjedhjet2025<\/strong><\/a> #Elections2025<\/strong><\/a> hashtag#IntegritetiZgjedhore<\/strong><\/a> #EmpoweringFactBasedJournalismAlbania<\/strong><\/a> #OpenDataAlbania<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n [i]<\/a> Krimet zgjedhore, Lala dhe Zhabina: N\u00eb Elbasan edhe po nuk e shite vot\u00ebn ta marrin me kallash te koka |<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n [ii]<\/a> Durr\u00ebs. <\/strong>This district has the highest number of criminal groups engaged in criminal activities and influencing electoral matters. A notable case is the Organized Criminal Group of the “Avdulajs,” who operated in the Durr\u00ebs district and influenced the 2021 elections by placing former Socialist MP Jurigis Cyrbja on the Candidate List. The MP is currently under criminal investigation and in preventive detention. Some members of the group may still be active. [<\/strong>Vote buying and crime, former MP Jurgis \u00c7yrbja arrested<\/a> ] <\/strong> In addition, several other groups and individuals with significant criminal activity, potential, and involvement in electoral campaigns have been identified. Media Articles 2024: [Following the testimony of the cooperating witness, Nuredin D., the police raided the residence of Xhevdet Troplini, whose alias is ‘Poja,’ and carried out a house search<\/a>] [ Biography: Who is Visi i Pojes, alias Ervis Do\u00e7i, whose 3 million euros were seized by SPAK in his residence?<\/a>]\n\n\n\n The “level of activity” remains high, making Durr\u00ebs a high-risk area for criminal influence in the elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [iii]<\/a> Elbasan.<\/strong> This is the district with significant criminal activity from several organized crime groups. The most prominent among them is the criminal group led by Suel \u00c7ela. This group has been targeted by SPAK (in cooperation with EUROJUST and partner authorities in EU countries). Eighteen individuals have been detained for serious criminal offenses. However, the leader of the gang remains at large and is still wanted by the authorities. [The electoral campaign in Elbasan is being held with fear and under the shadow of Suel \u00c7ela’s group<\/a>] This criminal group continues its operations on the ground, aiming to maintain \u201ccertain connections\u201d with individuals in power and preserve its economic influence. Local journalists report that members of this group are settling debts incurred at grocery stores where unemployed families regularly receive food on credit<\/strong>. The group also sponsors electoral events<\/strong> and exerts pressure or physical violence on voters<\/strong>. Despite ongoing criminal proceedings and arrests made under SPAK\u2019s orders, Suel \u00c7ela’s group in Elbasan continues to be a financially powerful and active player in the 2025 election campaign (media source).<\/p>\n\n\n\n[Under SPAK’s monitoring, who are the two candidates suspected of being supported by crime in Durr\u00ebs and Elbasan?<\/a>]\n\n\n\n [iv]<\/a> Shkoder<\/strong>. The Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) has undertaken law enforcement operations against two high-risk organized crime groups: the Bajraj criminal group and the organization led by Pellumb Gjoka, referenced in the “Metamorphosis” case file (2023-2024). Shkoder remains a district with heightened security concerns, particularly in the final days and hours preceding the upcoming elections, where potential for confrontation is significantly elevated. The region is characterized by substantial economic interests. (North part of Adriatik Coas)<\/p>\n\n\n\n [v]<\/a> Fier.<\/strong> The journalistic sources have provided indications of actions by businesses under investigation by SPAK, which have strong ties to local officials. One group is led by an individual known as a businessman, who is a regular winner of public tenders. The individual in question has won public tenders in three municipalities within the Fier district. [The “strongman” of Fier, Renato \u00c7ami, is under investigation by SPAK; Mayor Armando Subashi awards him a \u20ac1.1 million tender<\/a>] In this district (Fier), activity and influence are also expected from other individuals with criminal records who have been declared wanted. In this district, more than one criminal group is active, and the competition for parliamentary mandates may be intense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[v] [News24, through its investigative program Shenjester, aired on April 29: \u201cThe director is on fire \u2014 now\u2019s the time to secure some funding<\/a>\u201d- How Suel \u00c7ela instructed Bruno Hazizolli to meet with Luan Tabaku in order to influence his appointment as Deputy Director at… \u2013 BalkanWeb.com \u2013 News24]\n\n\n\n Note<\/strong>. Luan Tabaku is the Director of a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE); Suel \u00c7ela is the leader of a structured criminal group currently under investigation and prosecution by SPAK (Special Anti-Corruption Structure); Bruno Hazizolli is a member of this criminal organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An investigative report has identified four businesses owned by members of the criminal group and their relatives, which have secured public contracts with state-owned enterprises and municipalities, including those in Elbasan, Peqin, C\u00ebrrik, Prrenjas, and Ku\u00e7ov\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [vi]<\/a> [News24, through its investigative program Shenjester, aired on April 29: \u201cThe director is on fire \u2014 now\u2019s the time to secure some funding<\/a>\u201d- How Suel \u00c7ela instructed Bruno Hazizolli to meet with Luan Tabaku in order to influence his appointment as Deputy Director at… \u2013 BalkanWeb.com \u2013 News24]. Note<\/strong>. Luan Tabaku is the Director of a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE); Suel \u00c7ela is the leader of a structured criminal group currently under investigation and prosecution by SPAK (Special Anti-Corruption Structure); Bruno Hazizolli is a member of this criminal organization. An investigative report has identified four businesses owned by members of the criminal group and their relatives, which have secured public contracts with state-owned enterprises and municipalities, including those in Elbasan, Peqin, C\u00ebrrik, Prrenjas, and Ku\u00e7ov\u00eb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Between 2023 and 2025, the Special Prosecution Office Against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK) has taken significant action against several structured criminal groups suspected of involvement in electoral crimes during the 2021 elections, particularly in the districts of Shkod\u00ebr, Durr\u00ebs, Elbasan, and Lezha. Investigative media reports have revealed that some of these criminal groups, primarily involved in drug trafficking, were actively engaged in vote buying… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/logo5.png?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25196,"url":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/?p=25196&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":24097,"position":0},"title":"Observations on Issues and Concerns Impacting the Integrity and Security of the Elections. Parliamentary Elections \u2013 May 11, 2025.","date":"May 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Prepared by AIS \u2013 Promoter of Open Data Albania This document presents a series of concerns related to the integrity of the electoral process and the right to vote in the context of May 11th, 2025, Parliamentary Elections, as identified by AIS. The observations stem from AIS\u2019s long-term monitoring of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ODA in Press Releases"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-14-161908.png?fit=490%2C634&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24103,"url":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/?p=24103&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":24097,"position":1},"title":"TENDERS AWARDED TO BISINESSES OWNED BY POLTICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS (PES)","date":"May 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the past three years, a consistent pattern of flagged tenders has emerged, with businesses associated with or owned by politically exposed persons (PEPs) or individuals with conflicts of interest securing awarding contracts \ud83d\udea9 These arguments have been officially documented in the 2023 Annual Report of the Special Anti-Corruption and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ODA in Press Releases"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/opa.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21936,"url":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/?p=21936&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":24097,"position":2},"title":"Mis-Use of Public Funds during Election Period: Civil Society Call for Amendments to Electoral Legislation ahead of 2025 Elections","date":"July 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Three civil society organizations engaged in issues of transparency, accountability and democratic culture have recently addressed a letter to the Parliamentary Committee for Legal Affairs and the Group of Dialogue. More specifically: \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the Albanian Institute of Sciences (AIS), promoter of Open Data Albania, with Executive Director Mrs. Aranita Brahaj. \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ODA in Press Releases"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-24-164645-1.png?fit=933%2C557&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25531,"url":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/?p=25531&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":24097,"position":3},"title":"AIS \/ Open Data Albania Submits Legislative Recommendations to the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee for the Implementation of Electoral Reform on the Use of Public Funds and the State Budget during Electoral Periods","date":"July 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Tirana 28 July 2026 AIS \/ Open Data Albania has submitted a package of legislative recommendations to the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee for the Implementation of Electoral Reform aimed at strengthening Albania\u2019s legal framework governing the use of public funds and the State Budget during electoral years and electoral periods,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ODA in Press Releases"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-02-200626-1.png?fit=980%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24214,"url":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/?p=24214&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":24097,"position":4},"title":"Voice of America broadcasted several views from civil society experts calling for legal reforms to prevent the misuse of public funds for electoral purposes. The head of the Electoral Commission stated that the Electoral Law must be amended, as it does not address any of the situations raised.","date":"December 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Voice of America broadcasted several views from civil society experts calling for legal reforms to prevent the misuse of public funds for electoral purposes. The head of the Electoral Commission stated that the Electoral Law must be amended, as it does not address any of the situations raised. In Tirana,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ODA in media"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2025-05-29-171638.png?fit=1200%2C660&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24123,"url":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/?p=24123&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":24097,"position":5},"title":"ELECTORAL PROCESS ALBANIA 2025. NON \u2013 REPRESENTATIVE ELECTORAL SYSTEM","date":"May 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\ud83d\udea9 The current legal regulations hinder new political alternatives, disenfranchise 21% of active voters, and undermine the principle of representation \ud83d\udea9 \ud83d\udea9 Open Data Albania predicted the 2025 election outcome two years in advance. \ud83d\udea9In May 2023, following the local elections, the (youth-led) data analysis team at AIS \/ OpenDataAlbania\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ODA in Press Releases"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ndiqparate.al\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-17-163238.png?fit=356%2C692&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcJP0S-6gF","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24097"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24097"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24111,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24097\/revisions\/24111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndiqparate.al\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\n