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Albania

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
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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
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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
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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

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
2 811 670
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Edi Rama (since 2013)
Head of government party
Socialist Party of Albania
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
35.7%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.51
Head of state
President Bajram Begaj
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
06/05/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
94.42%
Population Tooltip
2 811 670
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Edi Rama (since 2013)
Head of government party
Socialist Party of Albania
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
35.7%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.51
Head of state
President Bajram Begaj
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
06/05/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
94.42%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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