The Central Election Commission (), abbreviated in English as and in Albanian as , is the permanent, independent, non-partisan election commission responsible for conducting parliamentary and local elections in the Republic of Albania. It also regulates and oversees political parties, coalitions, government bodies, and the media to ensure electoral laws are upheld. It is regulated by and beholden to the Electoral Code.
The commission is made up of 4 separate bodies: the Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner, the Regulatory Commission (KRR), and the Commission for Complaints and Sanctions (KAS).
The KQZ's primary objective is to ensure the uniform application of the electoral code. This includes ensuring compliance with campaign finance regulations, administering state funding for political parties, and maintaining the register of political parties. It additionally regulates the conduct of governmental agencies and media organizations during an election.
The KQZ handles the operation of general and local elections as well as referendums. It is the final body which officially certifies and promulgates election results.
The commissioner and KRR jointly oversee the functioning of the local electoral commissions (KZAZ) in line with the electoral code.
It has broad powers to ensure the electoral code is followed. For example, the KQZ can require that party offices located too close to polling stations be closed.
The State Election Commissioner, known also as simply the Commissioner, directs the civil service of the commission, represents the commission with third parties, and monitors the actions of electoral subjects, the government, and media organizations.
The commissioner assumes any function of the KQZ not delegated to the other three bodies or the local commissions.
The commissioner is elected to a 7-year term by the Albanian Parliament with a three-fifths supermajority vote. Any Albanian citizen who used to be a senior civil servant, senior party functionary, or ex-director of an NGO involved with the operation of elections may be proposed for State Commissioner.
The role is incompatible with any party affiliation or conflicts of interest.
The responsibilities of the Commissioner include:
The deputy commissioner is elected for a 4-year term by the Albanian Parliament with the duty of monitoring and observing the implementation of the electronic identification technology used in elections.
The Regulatory Commission is composed of 5 members, one of whom is appointed chair. They are elected for 5-year terms by the Albanian Parliament in the same process as the Commissioner.
The members of the Regulatory Commission are subject to the same requirements as the State Commissioner. They are required to have legislative experience.
The Commission passes normative acts on:
Additionally, the Commission passes normative acts prepared by the civil service of the KQZ, on:
In most cases, for the commission to ratify a decision, four members out of five must vote pro.
The Commission for Complaints and Sanctions (KAS) is a collegial body composed of 5 members elected for 9-year terms.
Any Albanian citizen who was formerly a judge, clerk for the Constitutional Court or the Supreme Court, a member of the KQZ, a senior civil servant, or a freelance jurist may be proposed to be a member of the KAS. Similarly to the commission, the role is incompatible with any party affiliation or conflict of interest.
The competences of the KAS include:
Decisions of the KAS are ratified by a simple majority (3 votes pro) in most cases. Declaring an election invalid or considering complaints against the State Commissioner or a local election commission requires a 4-vote supermajority.
In October 2025, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that it would test an artificial intelligence system for result calculation during the partial elections of 9 November.