Photo Credit: NDI   Baldushk resident, Rahim Poda, in a television interview with Top Channel, discusses the Constituent Platform for Election Zone 50 developed by Civic Forum citizen activists. The Constituent Platform served as the basis for a constructive dialogue between citizens and politicians in Zone 50.

Model of Engaged Representation

Model of Engaged Representation
Citizen Activists Prove Their Voices Can Be Heard

TIRANË, KAVAJË—Zone 50, in central Albania, stretches from the hills of Baldushk to the Adriatic coast in Kavaje across three separate river valleys. Yet in spite of geographical challenges, Deputy Luan Skuqi (DP) and the citizens of Zone 50 have been developing a relationship based on dialogue, identifying and sharing priorities, access and responsiveness.

Civic Forum, a component of USAID’s Democracy and Governance (DGA) project, has helped foster such a change.

In March 2005, a dozen Civic Forum citizen activists from Baldushk, Peza and Rrogozhine (the three main communities across Zone 50) began distributing simple surveys to assess constituent priorities ahead of the parliamentary campaigns. Working as a team, the citizens distributed 461 surveys, spoke with community members, and compiled the results to create a zone-wide list of priorities.

On May 19th, the citizens met with senior leaders from four political parties to hand over their Constituent Platform.

“This platform has been done by the citizens of Zone 50 to narrow the gap between citizens and politicians, to feature our priorities, and to work together with our future deputy,” said Bladushk resident, Rahim Poda in a television interview with Top Channel.

In June, citizens continued to apply the lessons learned with Civic Forum. They invited candidates from five main political parties to come to two open debates, facilitated by citizens and based on the priorities in their Constituent Platform. More than 150 citizens attended the two debates, and all but the Socialist Party candidate took part. The debate which was broadcast over the AlbNet television network.

On election day, Zone 50 voters not only went to the polls better informed about the candidates’ positions on important issues, but 20 stayed on at the polls as domestic monitors in the nationwide effort through the Albanian Coalition Against Corruption (ACAC) and the DGA.

Since July, the victorious candidate, Luan Skuqi (DP), responded to the citizens’ top priority and opened two constituent offices in Zone 50. Citizens invited their deputy back to Peza on February 11th to discuss his accomplishments during his first six months in office and to set expectations for the months ahead. More than 70 citizens took part in the two-hour discussion with the Deputy, who took questions from the floor and stayed an additional two hours to join Engaged Citizens in an open discussion during lunch.

“Democracy is a complex web of interaction, information, perceptions and exchange,” explains Jennifer Butz, National Democratic Institute Director of the Democracy and Governance in Albania project, “Changing perceptions and behaviors takes time, commitment, and will from political forces and citizens alike, but the engaged citizens in Zone 50 have proven that their efforts produce results.”

Zone 50 is quickly becoming a model for engaged, interactive representation. But change isn’t limited to one electoral zone. More than 800 citizens in 18 zones across Albania are using a simple tool developed by Civic Forum to monitor deputy performance and create a basis for informed dialogue. It takes time, but the electorate and their elected can – and sometimes do – build stronger democratic values.

Submitted by National Democratic Institute