Socialist Party of Albania Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | PS, PSSh, SP[1] |
| Chairman | Edi Rama[1] |
| Leader of the Parliamentary Group | Bledar Çuçi |
| General Secretary | Blendi Klosi |
| Founded | 13 June 1991 |
| Preceded by | Party of Labour of Albania |
| Headquarters | Sheshi Austria 4, 1001Tirana |
| Newspaper | Zëri i Popullit |
| Youth wing | Euro-Socialist Youth Forum |
| Membership(2025) | 93,000[2] |
| Ideology | Social democracy Pro-Europeanism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists (associate) |
| International affiliation | Socialist International |
| Colours | Red[a] Green[a] Purple (customary)[b] |
| Slogan | Për Shqipërinë që duam("For the Albania that We Want") |
| National Assembly | 76 / 140 |
| Municipality | 54 / 61 |
| Council Seats | 757 / 1,613 |
| Website | |
| ps | |
TheSocialist Party of Albania (Albanian:Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë,PS orPSSh) is asocial-democratic[1][3]political party in Albania.[4] It has been described ascentre-left.[5][6][7] It is the inheriting force of the Communist Party of Albania, which was founded on 8 November 1941 and later became known as the Party of Labour of Albania (Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë). After the fall of communism in Albania, the Party of Labour of Albania rebranded itself as the Socialist Party of Albania in an effort to adapt to the new political landscape. This is the reason why the Socialist Party is claimed to have been founded on 13 June 1991.[8] The PS is an associate of theParty of European Socialists[9] and a member of theSocialist International,[10] and it claims to holdpro-European views.[11][12]
Established in 1991, the Socialist Party of Albania emerged in the aftermath of thefall of communism in Albania that had dominatedAlbanian politics since the end ofWorld War II. The dissolution of thePeople's Socialist Republic prompted a reevaluation of political ideologies and a quest for democratic governance, paving the way for the rise of multiple political entities. The roots of the Socialist Party can be traced back to theParty of Labour of Albania under its founderEnver Hoxha, which had been the ruling party for over four decades. Hoxha's successorRamiz Alia was forced to introduce limited reforms in the late 1980s. On 11 December 1990, Alia announced that the PPSh had given up its monopoly of power. The PPSh won the1991 Albanian Constitutional Assembly election, the first free elections held in the country in almost 80 years. By this time, it was no longer aMarxist–Leninist party. At an extraordinary congress on 10–13 June 1991, the PPSh voted to change its name to the PS in an effort to survive in the new system.[13]
Fatos Nano, a man from theintelligentsia, was elected the new chairman.[14] Nano helped to reform the old Communist party and made it a member of theSocialist International. A faction of the party, led byIlir Meta, split away from the PS in 2004 and formed theSocialist Movement for Integration (Lëvizja Socialiste për Integrim, LSI).[15]
On 10 October 2005, Nano resigned as the chairman of the PS after losing the2005 Albanian parliamentary election, and was succeeded byEdi Rama.[16] Under Rama's lead, the PS formed theAlliance for a European Albania, which united several political parties. The alliance won the2013 Albanian parliamentary election, thus returning the Socialists to the government after 8 years.[17]
The Socialist Party, now running alone, again won the2017 election and the2021 election, winning 74 seats in both of them and is thus currently able to rule Albania alone, although it is externally supported by the Social Democratic Party in parliament.[18]
In its 2013 party platform, the party has pledged to replace theflat tax with aprogressive tax, and also supportsuniversal health care.[19] Party leaderEdi Rama has indicated that he supportsLGBT rights in Albania.[20] The party is alsopro-European, supports theaccession of Albania to the European Union,[21]NATO membership,[22] and considersKosovo "Albania's main strategic partner and ally".[23] Rama has also said that he strives to follow theThird Way approach of former British prime ministerTony Blair.
The current logo is based on thefist and rose logo in the version created byJosé María Cruz Novillo for theSpanish Socialist Workers Party in 1977. The PS logo is used without official consent and agreement with PSOE.[24]
| No. | President | Born–died | Term start | Term end | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fatos Nano | .jpg) | (born 1952) | 13 June 1991 | 10 October 2005 | 14 years, 119 days |
| 2 | Edvin Kristaq Rama | _(cropped).jpg) | (born 1964) | 10 October 2005 | Incumbent | 19 years, 184 days |
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Rank | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 433,602 | 23.87 | 38 / 140 |  131[c] | 2nd[c] | Opposition |
| 1996 | 335,402 | 20.37 | 10 / 140 | 28 |  2nd | Opposition |
| 1997 | 413,369 | 52.75 | 101 / 155 |  97 | 1st | Majority |
| 2001 | 555,272 | 42.27 | 73 / 140 | 28 | 1st | Majority |
| 2005 | 538,906 | 39.44 | 42 / 140 | 31 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2009 | 620,586 | 40.85 | 65 / 140 | 23 | 1st[25] | Opposition |
| 2013 | 713,407 | 41.36 | 65 / 140 | | 1st | Coalition |
| 2017 | 764,761 | 48.19 | 74 / 140 | 9 | 1st | Majority |
| 2021 | 768,177 | 48.68 | 74 / 140 | | 1st | Majority |
| 2025 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The centre-right Democratic Party-led opposition supporters gathered Sunday at the main government building accusing centre-left Socialist Party Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and links to organized crime.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has faced repeated calls to stand down in recent months over claims that his centre-left Socialist Party is corrupt and has links to organised crime.
Rama's center-left Socialist Party holds a majority in Parliament, while the opposition is made up of parties to his left and right.
Media related toSocialist Party of Albania at Wikimedia CommonsEuropean Parliament group:Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats | |||||||||||||||
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