Gender Quotas Database
Albania
Southern Europe
At a glance
| Structure of parliament | Unicameral |
Are there legislated quotas
Are there voluntary quotas?
| Is there additional information? | Yes |
Single / Lower House
Kuvendi / Assembly
| Total seats | 140 |
| Total women | 50 |
| Percentage of women | 36% |
| Election year | 2021 |
| Electoral system | List PR |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
For each constituency in the elections for the Assembly, no less than one in every three names on the multi-name list must belong to the underrepresented gender. (Article 67 (6)) The candidates with a higher number of preferential votes shall be attributed seats, provided that the quota for the less represented gender is still applied. (Article 163) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
Failure by the electoral subject to fulfil the obligation provided for in point 6 of Article 67 of this law results in the rejection of the multi-name list to be registered in the CEC or, as the case may be, for the local elections in the CEAZ. (Article 175) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
'For elections for local government bodies, for each municipal council, one in every two consecutive names in ranking shall belong to the same gender. The subject submitting the list declares the seats, according to the gender quota' (Article 67 (6), Electoral Code 2015). Duties and powers of the municipal council The municipal council has the following duties and powers: i) elects the representatives of the municipal council in the district council, who, in no less than 50 percent of them, must belong to the less represented gender; (Law on local self-government - Article 54) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
Failure by the electoral subject to fulfil the obligation provided for in point 6 of Article 67 of this law results in the rejection of the multi-name list to be registered in the CEC or, as the case may be, for the local elections in the CEAZ. (Article 175) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
In November 2008, Albania's electoral system was reformed, introducing list proportional representation system in place of the previously used mixed member proportional representation system. Under the new system, all 140 members of parliament are elected through a proportional representation system in 12 constituencies corresponding to the 12 administrative regions. The threshold to win parliamentary representation is 3 per cent for political parties and 5 per cent for the pre-election coalitions.
In the Election of 2017 in Albania, "[w]omen were active but underrepresented in the campaign. Several events specifically targeted women voters. However, the largest political parties did not always respect the gender quota in their candidate lists and women candidates received little media attention. While some 40 per cent of candidates were women, they received only 26 per cent of seats in the new parliament. Women were also underrepresented in the election administration, including in decision-making positions." (OSCE: 2017: 2).
In September 2021, Albania's parliament successfully voted in 12 women in the cabinet consisting of 17 members. This makes it the first cabinet to have a greater majority of women than men upon the introduction of the multiparty system present. (Reuters, September 17, 2021)
Sources
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Albania on iKNOW Politics
- Albanian Central Election Commission website, http://kqz.gov.al/
- United Nations Women, July 2017. 'In Albania, elections herald historic increase in number of women MPs' https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/7/feature-in-albania-elections-herald-historic-increase-in-number-of-women-mps
- Antic, M.G and Lokar, S. 2006. 'The Balkans: from total rejection to gradual acceptance of gender quotas', in Dahlerup, D. (ed.) Women, Quotas and Politics, London/New York: Routledge, pp. 138-167.
- Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation. 2002. ‘A Compilation of NGO Report from Balkan Countries: Albania.’ Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). pp.24-53
- Stability Pact Gender Task Force (SPGTF). 2002. ‘Building National Gender Equality Mechanisms in South East Europe – Women's Use of the State.’
- Woodward, Alison . 2001. ‘Women Are Doing It – Building a Gender Balanced Democracy Using Sticks, Carrots and Kisses'. Stability Pact Gender Task Force Regional Meeting, Slovenia (SPGTF).
- International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. 2000. Report: Women 2000.
- Albanian Parliament website, http://www.parlament.al/
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