New Criminal Code / Vote buying and selling: 6 years in prison for buyers, 7 years for sellers
- Korca Boom
- Aug 3
- 2 min read
If the proposed new Penal Code is adopted as is, a voter who sells their vote would face a harsher sentence than the politician who buys it. Anyone who dares to sell their vote for material benefits or favors will be punished more severely than the party official.
The punishment for voters selling votes increases by two years in prison, raising the maximum sentence from 5 to 7 years for active corruption in elections (Article 296, draft Penal Code).
For politicians or persons offering to buy votes, offer jobs, or other favors, the sentence remains lighter—3 to 6 years in prison (Article 297).
Legal text highlights:
Article 296* states that soliciting or accepting money, material goods, or other favors by voters or their close relatives in exchange for supporting a candidate, voting in a certain way, participating or abstaining from voting, or engaging in illegal activity in support of a candidate or party is punishable by 2 to 7 years imprisonment.
Article 297* stipulates that offering or giving money, material goods, promises of jobs, or other favors to voters or related persons for the same electoral purposes is punishable by 3 to 6 years imprisonment.
The current law prescribes 1 to 5 years for active electoral corruption.
Additional penalties:
The draft law increases punishment for those seeking favors in exchange for votes, from a maximum of 5 years to 7 years.
Voting multiple times in the same elections, voting on behalf of others with false ID, or using other voters’ documents is punishable by 2 to 4 years imprisonment (current law: 1 to 3 years).
Interestingly, penalties for photographing ballots are reduced: from 3 years imprisonment under current law to a fine or imprisonment from 3 months to 2 years in the draft.
Current situation:
SACOCS head Altin Dumani recently announced 193 complaints related to electoral crimes during the May 11 elections.
No political party complaints had evidence regarding vote buying and selling.
39 criminal proceedings remain under investigation.
“KORÇA BOOM”
