The Albanian government has extended the validity of expired identity cards to ensure citizens can vote in the upcoming local elections on May 11.
Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha said the move would resolve a bureaucratic hurdle affecting around 500,000 people whose ID cards had expired. “With the approval of this measure, all Albanian citizens will be able to vote according to the instructions of the Central Election Commission, registering through the electronic platform,” he stated.
However, Hoxha clarified that Albanians living abroad without a valid national identification document would not be eligible to vote. “This is not possible as the law does not provide for it. Everyone else can now register with the election commission,” he said.
The decision aims to prevent potential voter disenfranchisement, as ID renewals had posed a challenge ahead of the elections.
