Zajkova: Proposal for electronic voting only for the diaspora, a double-standard approach

Monika Zajkova, chairwoman of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), described as a form of political derangement the idea that electronic voting be offered to Albanians abroad, but not to those within the territory.

During an interview on “Radio Lider”, MP Zajkova said this way of thinking resembles a situation where two mutually exclusive stances are declared and yet it is insisted that there is a consistent political line. “Perhaps it’s a harsh expression, but I have to say it: it’s a kind of political schizophrenia,” she stressed.

She drew attention to an event from several months ago, when the ruling majority presented a draft law to prohibit MPs from holding dual citizenship, aiming to prove that many of them did not possess foreign passports. According to Zajkova, that draft stalled and it was declared that “there is no solution.”

The PLD chairwoman highlighted the blatant contradiction: on one hand the government passes measures against dual citizenship for the people’s representatives, while on the other it addresses the diaspora asking for financial contributions and votes, but preventing them from running for office. She recalled that a significant number of Albanians in the diaspora actually hold dual citizenship.

“Let’s address the issues one by one,” Zajkova proposed. “If the law on dual citizenship is to be passed, I insist that it applies equally to government members. Then, we decide whether we will have electronic voting for all citizens or only for the diaspora. It is not fair to deny them the passive right to be elected, while recognizing their active right to vote,” she concluded.