A couple of years ago, Tuija Brax, Director of the Rule of Law Centre, reached out to Niklas Wilhelmsson, Head of the Ministry of Justice’s Democracy and Elections Unit. His expertise was needed for a new project in Albania led by the Centre.
“I’ve previously been involved in international projects on administrative transparency and political funding issues, including with the OECD and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,” Wilhelmsson explains.
In Albania, efforts are underway to develop the country’s electoral system, and the Rule of Law Centre’s project focuses particularly on increasing the transparency of election and party financing. Transparency is essential to make it clearer who funds whose campaign and how, as well as the ties associated with that funding.
Through the Rule of Law Centre, Finnish officials and researchers are involved in the project, making short visits to Albania and participating the Rule of Law Clinics. In Albania, the key partner is the Central Election Commission, and the project also involves International IDEA, an expert organization focused on democracy.
“I’ve visited Albania four times during the project, and each time has had a slightly different focus – or rather, the theme has become more specific with each visit,” says Wilhelmsson.
“Initially, it was more about gathering information and discussions, and later we have conducted training sessions and presented best practices from Finland and other parts of the world.”
Currently, there are numerous international actors and projects in Albania aimed at strengthening the country’s electoral system and democracy. This surge in activity has a clear reason: Albania is seeking membership in the European Union and must align its systems with EU standards.
“There is a clear drive for change in the country, motivated especially by the EU membership bid,” Wilhelmsson notes.
In addition to motivation, there is also the capability to implement reforms.
“The Central Election Commission has a competent team, and officials have a broad understanding of the issues. Many have earned degrees from international universities in England or elsewhere in Europe, and they are linguistically skilled. There’s a strong sense of commitment to getting things done,” Wilhelmsson observes.
Wilhelmsson also sees a major advantage in Albania’s inclusion of civil society in its discussions with authorities.
“Organizations focused on democracy, rule of law, and transparency have been involved in our project, and they have present critical perspectives, too – something that is by no means possible everywhere. The goal is to ensure that by listening to these organizations, our understanding of the country’s situation and system is as balanced as possible,” he says.
Unfortunately, Albania’s political system also has major weaknesses and obstacles to change, primarily widespread corruption and organized crime.
“For example, one of Europe’s largest drug trafficking organizations operates in Albania, with a presence across Europe, and it is a significant factor in the country’s economy. Transparency in political funding is crucial precisely to ensure that such actors have no ties to politics or the judiciary,” Wilhelmsson emphasizes.
It is unrealistic to expect a few years of projects to solve deeply rooted issues and change a country’s culture. “From previous experience, I know that these kinds of changes are long-term processes and require sustained effort,” Wilhelmsson says.
“Albania has only a short tradition of democracy and organizing free elections. I believe Finland has a solid foundation to support this: for example, in recent years we’ve been ranked at the top, along with Denmark, in international election comparisons conducted by Oxford University.”
Wilhelmsson emphasizes that the role in Albania is purely advisory: the rule of law cannot be imposed externally if there isn’t an internal will to embrace it.
“We don’t know Albania well enough to provide them with a ready-made model to follow,” he notes.
“What we and other international actors can do, is share, how we’ve tackled similar problems and challenges ourselves, showing examples of the kind of expertise, technology, and legislation that can be helpful. But solutions must always be found locally.”
Wilhelmsson sees one of his key contributions to Albania as presenting Finland’s election funding legislation, which the Ministry of Justice oversees.
“We’ve also had broader discussions on organizing effective elections, and I’ve shared insights into our electoral system and the work of election officials.”
Wilhelmsson is pleased that tangible results have emerged from the collaboration in Albania.
“The country has now developed an electronic system for tracking and monitoring election and party funding. I believe that people’s expertise in organizing safe and reliable elections has also grown.”
Albania is also looking to its neighbouring countries’ experiences as models for its solutions, and Niklas Wilhelmsson has had the chance to become familiar with the electoral systems of other Balkan nations.
“We participated in a conference attended by election authorities from all Western Balkan countries. This provided me with a good perspective on what’s happening across the region,” he says.
Over the past two years, valuable networks have been established not only among Albanians and other Balkan nations, but also with the team at project partner International IDEA.
“I was, of course, already familiar with the organization, but now I’ve gotten to know IDEA’s experts much better. Their extensive expertise in democracy and election issues has been incredibly beneficial,” Wilhelmsson shares.
“As a result of this collaboration, we initiated a pilot project on election security funded by IDEA. Finland is the only European country participating in the pilot.”
Involvement in international projects also benefits Wilhelmsson’s work at the Ministry of Justice, as examining other countries’ models and solutions offers insights into Finland’s own system and potential areas for improvement.
“Even Finland’s system isn’t perfect. We have certain gaps and loopholes related to election funding, such as the ability to obscure donations through loans, and we’re currently working to close these,” he explains.
Wilhelmsson believes that the Rule of Law Centre’s important role includes fostering domestic discussion, in addition to its international work.
“Threats to the rule of law and democracy exist everywhere, and Finland is not immune to them. We need forums like Rule of Law Day, for example, to conduct national discussions on these issues.”