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 Albania |
Albania is aunitaryparliamentaryconstitutional republic, in which thepresident of Albania is thehead of state and theprime minister of Albania is thehead of government in amulti-party system. The executive power is exercised by theGovernment and the prime minister with itsCabinet. Legislative power is vested in theParliament of Albania. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The political system of Albania is laid out in the1998 constitution.[1] The Parliament adopted the currentconstitution on 28 November 1998. Historically Albania has had many constitutions. Initially constituted as amonarchy in 1913, Albania became briefly arepublic in 1925, and then aauthoritarian monarchy in 1928. In 1939 Albania was invaded byFascist Italian forces, imposing apuppet state, and later occupied byNazi German forces. Following the partisan liberation from the Nazis in 1944 aprovisional government was formed, which by 1946 had transformed into acommunist one-party state.[2] In March 1991 democracy was restored with multi-party elections.[3]
Thepresident represents the unity of theAlbanian people in the country and abroad as thehead of state and is also thecommander-in-chief of themilitary.[4] The president is nominated through asecret vote and without debate by theParliament of Albania by a majority of three-fifths of all its members and is in every case elected for five years.[5] The president maintains regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, safeguards the independence and territorial integrity of Albania and appoints prime ministers on the basis of the balance of power in the Parliament. Theprime minister is appointed by the president after eachparliamentary election and must have the confidence of the Parliament to stay in office. The prime minister is elected on the basis ofuniversal suffrage, through asecret ballot, for a four-yearterm. The constitution sets no limit as to office terms of the prime minister. The prime minister isde facto the most powerful and influential person in Albanian politics. However, in the absence of the prime minister, thedeputy prime minister takes over his functions, such as chairing thecabinet and thecouncil of ministers of Albania.
TheParliament is aunicameral legislative body of Albania. It is vested in both the government as well as in the parliament. The number of representatives is 140, which are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The oldest parliament with extant records was held on 2 March 1444, forged inLezhë underGjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu as the leader against theOttoman Empire.[6] Since 1991, the introduction of pluralism, the party system is dominated by theDemocratic and the post-communistSocialist.Parliamentary elections are held every four years, the most recent in2021. In April 2021 parliamentaryelection, ruling Socialist Party, led by Prime MinisterEdi Rama, secured its third consecutive victory, winning nearly half of votes and enough seats in parliament to govern alone.[7] In February 2022, Albania's Constitutional Court overturned parliament's impeachment of PresidentIlir Meta, opponent of the ruling Socialist Party.[8]
Albania is a member state of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization and also anofficial candidate for membership in theEuropean Union.[9]
TheEconomist Intelligence Unit rated Albania a "flawed democracy" in 2024,[10][needs update][11][12] in conjunction with the electoral democracy score of over 0.5 given byV-Dem in 2024.
Since theDeclaration of Independence in 1912,Albania has experienced different models of governance, including an international protectorate, a monarchy, a state-party regime and the parliamentary republic as well. Throughout all this period, the function of thehead of state has been exercised in various forms.
Nowadays, thePresident of Albania(Presidenti) is thehead of state,commander-in-chief of themilitary and the representative of the unity of theAlbanian people.[13] The president isindirectly elected to a five-yearterm by theParliament bysecret vote, requiring a three-fifths majority of the votes of all members. The president has the power to guarantee observation of theConstitution and all laws, act ascommander-in-chief of theAlbanian Armed Forces, exercise the duties of theParliament, when the Parliament is not in session, and appoint thePrime Minister. The president has the power to declare war, to grant pardon and to conclude agreements of peace, alliance, and participation in international organizations; upon the request of the government a simple parliamentary majority is required to ratify such actions, agreements, or treaties.
Theprime minister of Albania(Kryeministri) is thehead of government. According to theConstitution, the prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in the Albanianparliamentary system. The prime minister is appointed by the president; ministers are nominated by the president as well on the basis of the prime minister's recommendation.[14] TheCouncil of Ministers is responsible for carrying out bothforeign and domestic policies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state organs. Thedeputy prime minister of Albania(Zëvendëskryeministri) is thedeputyhead of government. In the absence of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister takes over his functions, such as chairing theCabinet and the Council of Ministers.
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Bajram Begaj | Independent | 24 July 2022 |
| Prime Minister | Edi Rama | Socialist Party | 13 September 2013 |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Belinda Balluku | Socialist Party | 28 August 2022 |
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TheParliament of Albania(Kuvendi i Shqipërisë) is aunicameral legislative body. It is composed of not less than 140 memberselected to a four-yearterm on the basis of direct, universal, periodic and equalsuffrage bysecret ballot. As of Article 45 of theConstitution, which guarantees theright to vote, the people of Albania exercise their power through their electedrepresentatives in the Parliament. When the Parliament is elected, the first session shall be held no later than 20 days after the completion of elections with thepresident as the speaker.[15] There are 15 permanent committees. Extraordinary meets can be called by the president, by theChairperson of the Parliament, by theprime minister or by the one fifth of the members. Decisions are made based on a majority vote if more than half of the members are present, except in cases where the Constitution provides for a special majority. As specified by the current electoral legislation inAlbania, 140 members of the Parliament are elected in multi-seatconstituencies. Within any constituency, parties must meet a threshold of 3 percent of votes, and pre-election coalitions must meet a threshold of 5 percent of votes.[16][17] All laws passed by the Parliament are published through theFletorja Zyrtare, theofficial journal of the government.[18]
Thechairperson of the Parliament(Kryetar i Kuvendit) is the presiding officer of the Parliament and is elected by the members of the Parliament. The official function is to moderatedebate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, decides who may speak and has the powers to discipline members who break the procedures of the chamber or house. When thepresident is temporarily absent or incapable of exercising its powers, the chairperson takes over his functions.[19]
Albania follows the civil law tradition, which is based on theFrench law system. It has a three-tiered, independent judicial system governed by theconstitution and national legislation enacted by theParliament. The judicial branch of Albania is divided into three main institutions; the 'Highest Courts', which includes theSupreme Court (Gjykata e Lartë) and theConstitutional Court (Gjykata Kushtetuese), the 'Intermediate Courts' such as theCourts of Appeal (Gjykata e Apelit), Court of Appeals against corruption and organized crime (Gjykata e Apelit kundër Korrupsionit dhe Krimit të Organizuar), and the Administrative Court of Appeals (Gjykata Administrative e Apelit) as well as the 'First Instance Courts' such as theDistrict Courts (Gjykata e Juridksionit të Përgjithshëm) and the Court of First Instance against corruption and organized crime (Gjykata e Shkallës së Parë kundër Korrupsionit dhe Krimit të Organizuar).
TheSupreme Court is the highest court of appeal in Albania; its hearings are open and judgments are made publicly, except in cases where the privacy of the accused is to be protected. It is composed of nineteen judges such as the president of the Supreme Court and eighteen members of the Supreme Court. The judges are selected and appointed amongst judges with more than 10 years of seniority or prominent lawyers, who have exercised their activity for more than 15 years. The members can serve for a single term of nine years, without the right of reappointment. TheConstitutional Court is the final authority for the interpretation of the Constitution and the compliance of laws in accordance with the constitution.
Following the collapse of the communist regime in the nation, thefirst multi-party elections were held in 1991, simultaneously with the1991 parliamentary elections.[20] The 1998Constitution of Albania guarantees the right to vote without restriction due to sex, race, social status, education level, or wealth.[21] EveryAlbanian citizen who has reached the age of 18 has the right to vote.[22] Regular elections take place for the office of thepresident,parliamentary, county prefects, county assemblies, city and municipal mayors and city and municipal councils.
The president is elected through asecret vote and without debate by theParliament by a majority of three-fifths majority of all its members, for five years.[23] TheConstitution sets a limit to a maximum of two terms in office.[24] The Parliament is elected to a four-year term in twelve multi-seat constituencies analogous to the 12county borders, with amendments to achieve a uniform number of eligible voters in each constituency to within 3%. Within the constituencies, seats are elected byclosed listproportional representation, with anelectoral threshold of 3% for parties and 5% for alliances.[25] Seats were allocated to alliances using thed'Hondt system, then to political parties using theSainte-Laguë method.[26]
The county prefects and city and municipal mayors are elected to four-year terms by majority of votes cast within applicable local government units. A runoff election is held if no candidate achieves a majority in the first round of voting. Members of county, city, and municipal councils are also elected to four-year terms throughproportional representation.
Albania has amulti-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must collaborate in order to formcoalition governments. The two major parties are theSocialist Party of Albania (PS) and theDemocratic Party of Albania (PD). Albania also has a number of minor parties. Following is a list of political parties with elected representation at the national level in theParliament following the generalparliamentary elections of 2021.
| Name | Abbr. | Ideology | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Party of Albania Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë | PS | Centre-left,Social democracy,Third Way,Progressive,Western,Modernism,Social liberalism | Edi Rama | 74 | |
| Democratic Party of Albania | PD | Centre-right,Liberal conservatism,Conservatism,Nationalism,Pro-Europeanism,Economic liberalism | Sali Berisha | 59 | |
| Freedom Party of Albania | PL | Centre-left,Social democracy,Progressivism | Ilir Meta | 4 | |
| Social Democratic Party | PSD | Social democracy,Centre-left | Tom Doshi | 3 | |
| Legality Movement Party Partia Lëvizja e Legalitetit | PLL | Right-wing,Monarchism Social conservatism | Shpëtim Axhami | 2 | |
In the2023 Albanian local elections theDemocratic Party of Albania (PD) were not allowed to register their candidates, a court upheld that decision accordingly theSocialist Party of Albania (PS) won most seats.
Foreign policy is conducted through theMinistry of Foreign Affairs inTirana. Albania maintains a network of 50 diplomatic missions abroad and holds relations with more than 115 countries.[27] It is a member of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),United Nations (UN),Council of Europe,International Monetary Fund (IMF),World Bank and several others. Citizens of the country have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 98 countries and territories, with theAlbanian passport ranking 55th in terms of travel freedom according to theHenley visa restrictions index.[28] Today, Albania maintains strong diplomatic relations with such countries asthe United States,Italy,Brazil,Greece,Austria,Croatia,China,Germany,Portugal,the United Kingdom,Turkey,Kuwait andSwitzerland.
Since thecollapse of communism in 1990, the country has extended its responsibilities and position in European and international affairs, supporting and establishing friendly relations with other nations. The main objectives are theaccession of Albania to the European Union; theinternational recognition of Kosovo; the recognition of theexpulsion of Cham Albanians;[29] and helping and protecting the rights of Albanians inMontenegro,Macedonia,Greece,southern Serbia,Italy and theAlbanian diaspora.
Furthermore, the country became one of the firsteastern European countries to join theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization. Politicians of Albania considered admission to NATO as a top priority for the country. Since 1992, it has been extensively engaged with NATO, and has maintained its position as a stability factor and a strong ally of theUnited States andEuropean Union in the troubled and divided region of the Balkans. At the April 2008 summit inBucharest,NATO agreed to the accession of Albania and Croatia. One year later in April 2009, both countries joined the alliance. Although, the country received candidate status for theEuropean Union membership in 2014, based on its 2009 application.[30] Today, Albania plays a central role in the negotiation of theBerlin Process.
With a total area of 28,748 square kilometres (11,100 square miles), Albania is divided into twelveadministrative counties (Albanian:Qarqe). The counties are further subdivided into 61municipalities (Bashkia). In addition, the counties were further subdivided in 36 districts (Rrethe), which became defunct in 2000.[31]
The counties were created on 31 July 2000 to replace the thirty-six formerdistricts.[32] The government introduced a new administrative division to be implemented in 2015, whereby municipalities were reduced to 61, while rural ones called (Komuna) are abolished. The defunct municipalities are known as Neighborhoods or Villages (Lagje or Fshat).[33][34] There are overall 2980 villages or communities in the entire country, formerly known as localities (lokalitete). The municipalities are the first level of local governance, responsible for local needs andlaw enforcement.[35]As part of the reform, major town centers in the country were physically redesigned and façades painted to reflect a more Mediterranean look.[36][37]
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The President of the Republic is elected by the Assembly by secret ballot and without debate by a majority of three-fifths of all its members.
Article 1 - Governance is based on a system of elections that are free, equal, general and periodic. Article 45 - The vote is personal, equal, free and secret.
The [2013] election was closely monitored by the European Union, which has twice rejected Albania's membership application and warned that the poll would bea crucial test for its further progress towards integration in the bloc.
.svg) Independent Albania (1912–1914) | |
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.svg) .svg) Principality of Albania (1914–1925) | |
.svg) Albanian Republic (1925–1928) | |
.svg) Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939) |
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| Occupied Albania (1939–1944) |
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.svg) .svg) _(by_UN).svg) Communist Albania (1944–1991) | |
 Republic of Albania (1991–present) | |
| Independent Albania (1912–14) | |
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| Principality of Albania (1914–25) | |
| Albanian Republic (1925–28) | |
| Albanian Kingdom (1928–39) | |
| Italian Albania (1939–43) | .svg) |
| German occupation (1943–44) | |
| Communist Albania (1944–91) | |
| Republic of Albania (since 1991) | |
| Presidential elections | |
| Parliamentary elections | |
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| Local elections | |
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