Albania
Albania exhibits mid-range performance across all categories of democracy in the Global State of Democracy Indices, scoring in the top 25 per cent globally for Freedom of Religion. Albania performs in the high range with regard to Elected Government and Freedom of Movement but shows low performance in Absence of Corruption. Over the past five years, its performance has been stable with no notable changes. It has been a candidate country for the European Union since 2014, and accession negotiations were initiated in July 2022. The Albanian economy is weakly diversified, mainly dependent on services, tourism and agriculture. The country struggles with high emigration and is heavily reliant on neighbouring countries for trade and remittances, making it vulnerable to external shocks. Albania’s transition to a market economy has been characterised by corrupt privatisation efforts and state-led pyramid schemes. The country’s democratisation was mostly managed by elites who were immersed in clan politics, and the resulting “culture of corruption” has hindered the formation of strong institutions.
Albania is one of the most homogeneous countries in Europe and does not exhibit any major politically salient ethnic cleavages. Instead, ingrained domestic regional divisions between North and South are the major fault lines in Albania. There is economic disparity between the more developed South and the less developed and North, as well as between rural and urban areas, and these differences significantly impacted Albania’s democratisation. Despite recent changes, people from the North tend to generally vote for the Democratic Party (PD), while voters in the South often support the Socialist Party (PS) due to the origin of the parties' leaders and the resulting clientelist ties. The post-communist legacy adds another layer to the regional divide, as PD represents a strong anti-communist stance and Northerners suffered from a particular suppression by the regime, whereas the South was the birthplace of the communist dictator Enver Hoxha and PS is the successor of his political party. Allegations of ties with Enver Hoxha’s communist regime are part of the usual discourse to discredit political opponents. Politics tend to be highly personalised and polarised, fuelling partisan violence in the society. The Freedom Party, the third biggest and a ‘kingmakers’ party, has been accused of sustaining clientelism and corruption, failing to deliver political change.
The political scene is dominated by a limited number of actors, primarily the PS and the PD, and a few long-standing smaller affiliates such as the Freedom Party (formerly known as the Socialist Movement for Integration). Possibilities for new political actors to enter remain limited and trust in electoral processes is corroded by recurring allegations of irregularities and clientelist behaviour.
In recent years, Albania has made important progress on gender equality through the development of the recently adopted National Strategy for Gender Equality (2021) and multiple laws. Progress is evidenced in women’s representation as government ministers. The overall gender quality gains are also reflected in the GSoDI data. Nevertheless, gender equality is persistently challenged by systemic issues – gendered educational outcomes, gender gaps in economic opportunities, and widespread gender-based violence – coupled with weaknesses in the implementation of laws.
The fight against corruption and strengthening the judiciary remain Albania’s biggest challenges in the years ahead. Although structural reforms are taking place, their effects take time to materialize in a system with deep-rooted corruption. Therefore, it will be important to watch the progress of these reforms and their potential impact on the Rule of Law, particularly related to Absence of Corruption and Judicial Independence.
Monthly Event Reports
February 2024 | Parliament approves controversial deal to detain migrants for Italy
On 22 February, the parliament ratified a deal between Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which will lead to the transfer of asylum seekers rescued at sea by Italian authorities to Italian-funded detention centers in Albania. Women, children and individuals deemed “vulnerable” will be exempt from the centers, sparking concerns about potential family separations. Experts and rights groups say the deal breaches international law, has legal ambiguities and will likely impact protection of rights. The deal was previously ruled constitutional by the Albanian Constitutional Court and was approved by the Italian Senate. Opposition MPs criticized the deal for its lack of transparency and threats to national security, while the Italian center-left opposition MPs called it a “shameful attempt” to turn Albania into Italy's version of "Guantanamo”. While the Constitutional Court said Albanian law would apply in the detention centers, Italian PM Meloni stated they would fall under Italian jurisdiction. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights warned the deal “will likely undermine crucial human rights safeguards.”
December 2023 | Parliament lifts immunity for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha
The parliament revoked former President and Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s immunity on 21 December. Berisha, who faces corruption charges from the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), currently leads the opposition Democratic Party. The decision received support from 75 MPs, slightly over half of the 140 assembly members, with 73 votes coming from the ruling Socialist Party group and two from Social Democrat MPs. Following this, Berisha was placed under house arrest for violating prior restrictive measures and was prohibited from traveling abroad.
October 2023 | SPAK charges former President and PM Sali Berisha with corruption
The Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), vested with constitutional powers and established as part of the EU reforms required for initiating accession talks, has maintained its recently established track record of investigating corruption and crime at the highest levels. In its latest indictment, SPAK has accused Sali Berisha, former President (1992-1997) and Prime Minister (2005-2013) and current leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, with corruption, alongside his son-in-law. Berisha stands accused of exerting pressure during his premiership to profit from a deal in which publicly owned sports grounds in Tirana were privatized and subsequently converted into a multi-storey housing development. Berisha and his son-in-law are thought to have jointly profited with EUR 5.4 million and the crime is punishable with up to 12 years of jail time. Berisha has called the accusations “baseless” and frames them as a political attack by current Prime Minister Edi Rama. It is unclear when the criminal proceedings will conclude.
September 2023 | Former environment minister sentenced to prison for corruption
Lefter Koka, former environment minister, has been convicted of corruption charges in “the incinerator affair”, which implicated numerous high-ranking politicians. Koka was sentenced to prison for his role in the EUR 280 million concessionary agreement between the government and a private company. The agreement aimed to construct a waste incinerator that ultimately remained unfinished. In July, an arrest warrant was also issued for Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj due to his alleged involvement in the case. Ahmetaj as well as the two businesspeople behind the incinerator contracts are on the run. This corruption scandal, one of the biggest in recent years, has cost taxpayers approximately EUR 150 million.
Explore past monthly event reports
GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time