Regular elections in Albania are mandated by the Constitution and legislation enacted by Parliament. The Parliament (Kuvendi) has 140 members elected for four-year terms.[1] The electoral system is open list proportional representation. There are 12 multi-member constituencies corresponding to the country's 12 administrative regions. 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.[2][3][4]
This electoral system replaced a mixed-member system in November 2008.[5] Under the old system, 100 members were elected directly in single member constituencies with approximately equal numbers of voters. 40 were elected from multi-name lists of parties or party coalitions according to their ranking. The total number of deputies of a party or a party coalition was to be, to the closest possible extent, proportional to the valid votes won by that party or coalition on the national scale in the first round of elections. Parties that received less than 2.5% and coalitions that received less than 4% of the valid votes on the national scale in the first round of elections did not benefit from the respective multi-name list.
The change was criticised by the smaller parties, but supported by the two main parties. It was considered an important step towards Albania's European integration. Other changes included limiting the prosecutor general's term to five years, forcing an early election in case of a no-confidence vote and reducing the majority required to elect the president from three-fifths to half the MPs.[6]
The president is elected by parliament.
Albania has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties and several other parties that are electorally successful.
History
editOn 31 March 1991, the first pluralist elections were held in the country.[7] The elections were conducted with a clean majority system in 250 constituencies.[8] 98.2% of voters took part in the voting. The participating parties registered a total of 1,074 candidates while 17 of the candidates were independent. The final election results declared the Labor Party the winner with 56.17% of the vote. The Democratic Party won 38.71% of the vote, the Republican Party 1.77%, the Omonia Organization 0.73%, the Agrarian Party 0.07% and the Veterans Committee 0.28%. With a 250-seat parliament, the results were translated into 169 deputies for the Labor Party, the Democratic Party 75 deputies, Omonia 5 deputies and the Veterans Committee 1 deputy. The Democratic Party achieved high results and received a larger number of deputies compared to the Labor Party in the main cities such as: Durrës (13 deputies out of 19 in total), Shkodër (16 out of 19 in total), Tirana (19 out of 29). Whereas in Krujë and Vlorë the number of deputies of the two major parties was equal.[8] This was considered a great victory for the DP given that the communist party that had ruled the country for about 50 years still continued to have strong control over the population, especially in those living in rural areas and still doubting that the dictatorship would fall.[9]
On 8 May 2000, the Albanian Parliament approved the Electoral Code only with the votes of the Socialists, which had an overwhelming majority in the assembly that emerged from the 1997 elections.[10] The Democratic Party rejected the Electoral Code in its entirety due to the composition of the Central Election Commission (KQZ or CEC) of 6 members. They boycotted his approval in parliament even though he had attended most of the roundtables organized for the debate over the Electoral Code. According to the new Electoral Code, voting in Albania would be based on a mixed, majority-proportional electoral system. From where 100 deputies, in the 140-seat parliament, would be elected by majority vote from single-member constituencies, while 40 seats were filled by national multi-member lists of political parties in order to achieve a proportional approach between nationally received votes and deputies which represented a political party in the assembly. To win a proportional mandate, political parties had to cross the 2.5% electoral threshold, while coalitions had to cross the 4% threshold.[11]
Presidential elections
editThe election of the president of Albania is regulated by the constitution of Albania, particularly outlined in the fourth part, comprising articles 86 to 94.[12] To be eligible for candidacy, individuals must fulfill several criteria as delineated in the constitution: they must be Albanian citizens by birth, have resided in Albania for no less than the past 10 years, be at least 40 years of age, and possess the right to vote.[13] The constitution mandates that the president shall not occupy any other public office, be affiliated with any political party, or engage in private business activities.[14] The electoral process commences with the parliament of Albania, which is responsible for scheduling elections at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the incumbent term of the president.[15] Candidates are nominated through a formal process in which a group of at least 20 members of the total 140 members of the parliament may propose an individual for the presidency.[15]
The election is conducted by the parliament through a secret ballot without debate, requiring a candidate to secure a majority of three-fifths of all members of the parliament.[15] If this majority is not achieved in the first ballot, a second ballot is held within seven days, followed by a third ballot if necessary. If no candidate receives the required majority after the third ballot, a fourth ballot occurs within seven days, limited to the two candidates with the highest votes from the previous round.[15] If neither candidate secures the necessary majority in the fourth ballot, a fifth ballot is conducted. If, after the fifth ballot, neither candidate achieves the required majority, the parliament is dissolved, necessitating subsequent parliamentary elections within 60 days.[15] The successive elected parliament is then responsible for electing the president according to the procedures regulated in the constitution. Further, if the parliament fails to elect a president, it correspondingly will be dissolved, requiring another round of general elections within the same period.[15]
The president begins their duties after taking an oath before the parliament, affirming their commitment to uphold the constitution and laws of Albania, respect the rights and freedoms of citizens, protect the independence of the nation, and serve the general interest and progress of the Albanians.[16] The term of office for the president is defined at five years, with the possibility of re-election for a maximum of two consecutive terms.[16] In the event that a president resigns before the end of their term, they are prohibited from being a candidate in the subsequent presidential election.[16] When the president is temporarily unable to exercise their functions or if the office becomes vacant, the speaker of the parliament of Albania assumes the responsibilities of the president.[17] If the president is unable to fulfill their duties for more than 60 days, the parliament must decide, by a two-thirds majority, whether to refer the issue to the constitutional court.[17] The court determines the incapacity of the president, and if incapacity is confirmed, the election of a successive president must commence within 10 days of such determination.[17]
Latest election
edit| Candidate | Party[a] | First round | Second round | Third round | Fourth round | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| Bajram Begaj | Independent | No candidates | 78 | 95.12 | |||||||
| Against | 4 | 4.88 | |||||||||
| Required majority | 84 votes | 71 votes | |||||||||
| Valid votes | — | 82 | 98.8 | ||||||||
| Abstentions | 1 | 1.2 | |||||||||
| Total | 83 | 100 | |||||||||
| Absents | — | 57 | 40.71 | ||||||||
| Registered voters | 140 | 59.29 | |||||||||
Previous elections
edit| Election | Candidates | Winning candidate | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 1 | Ahmet Zogu | Progressive Party | |
| 1991 | 1 | Ramiz Alia | Party of Labor | |
| 1992 | 1 | Sali Berisha | Democratic Party | |
| 2002 | 1 | Alfred Moisiu | Independent | |
| 2007 | 3 | Bamir Topi | Democratic Party | |
| 2012 | 7 | Bujar Nishani | ||
| 2017 | 1 | Ilir Meta | LSI | |
| 2022 | 1 | Bajram Begaj | Independent | |
Parliamentary elections
editLatest election
edit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Socialist Party | 768,134 | 48.67 | 74 | 0 | |
| Democratic Party – Alliance for Change | 622,187 | 39.43 | 59 | New | |
| Socialist Movement for Integration | 107,538 | 6.81 | 4 | –15 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 35,475 | 2.25 | 3 | +2 | |
| Nisma Thurje | 10,217 | 0.65 | 0 | New | |
| Democratic Conviction | 8,239 | 0.52 | 0 | New | |
| Movement for Change | 7,054 | 0.45 | 0 | New | |
| Albanian Democratic Movement Party | 4,705 | 0.30 | 0 | New | |
| New Movement Party | 3,767 | 0.24 | 0 | New | |
| New Democracy Alliance Party | 3,232 | 0.20 | 0 | New | |
| Albanian National Front Party | 1,946 | 0.12 | 0 | New | |
| National Hour Alliance – Emigration – People's Union and Conservatives | 1,376 | 0.09 | 0 | New | |
| Independents | 4,247 | 0.27 | 0 | – | |
| Total | 1,578,117 | 100.00 | 140 | – | |
| Valid votes | 1,578,117 | 95.00 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 83,059 | 5.00 | |||
| Total votes | 1,661,176 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 3,588,869 | 46.29 | |||
| Source: KQZ[20] and OSCE[21] | |||||
List
editThis is a list of parliamentary elections in Albania from the year 1921 till present day. Direct presidential elections have not been held.[22][23]
| No. | Legislature | Date | Candidates | Registered voters | Turnout % |
| 1 | National Council | 5 April 1921 | 65 | ||
| 2 | Constitutional Assembly | 27 December 1923 | 95 | ||
| 3 | Deputies Chamber - Senate | 17 May 1925 | 49/16 | ||
| 4 | Constituent Assembly/Parliament | 17 August 1928 | 49 | ||
| 5 | Parliament | 11 November 1932 | 54 | ||
| 6 | Parliament | 31 January 1937 | 57 | ||
| 7 | National Assembly/Parliament | 1 October 1943 | 193 | ||
| 8 | Constitutional Assembly/People's Assembly | 2 December 1945 | 101 | 603,566 | 89.9 |
| 9 | People's Assembly | 28 May 1950 | 116 | 641,241 | 99.4 |
| 10 | People's Assembly | 30 May 1954 | 129 | 702,476 | 99.9 |
| 11 | People's Assembly | 1 June 1958 | 180 | 788,250 | 100 |
| 12 | People's Assembly | 3 June 1962 | 210 | 889,875 | 100 |
| 13 | People's Assembly | 10 July 1966 | 234 | 978,161 | 100 |
| 14 | People's Assembly | 20 September 1970 | 261 | 1,097,123 | 100 |
| 15 | People's Assembly | 6 October 1974 | 238 | 1,248,530 | 100 |
| 16 | People's Assembly | 12 November 1978 | 250 | 1,436,289 | 100 |
| 17 | People's Assembly | 14 November 1982 | 250 | 1,627,968 | 100 |
| 18 | People's Assembly | 1 February 1987 | 250 | 1,830,653 | 100 |
| 19 | Constitutional Assembly | 31 March 1991 | 250 | 1,977,516 | 98.6 |
| 20 | People's Assembly | 22 March 1992 | 130 | 2,021,169 | 90.4 |
| 21 | People's Assembly | 26 May 1996 | 140 | 2,204,002 | 89.1 |
| 22 | Assembly | 29 June 1997 | 150 | 1,947,235 | 72.6 |
| 23 | Assembly | 24 June 2001 | 135 | 2,499,238 | 53.6 |
| 24 | Assembly | 3 July 2005 | 140 | 2,850,821 | 48.0 |
| 25 | Assembly | 28 June 2009 | 140 | 3,084,946 | 50.8 |
| 26 | Assembly | 23 June 2013 | 140 | 3,271,885 | 53.5 |
| 27 | Assembly | 25 June 2017 | 140 | 3,452,324 | 46.8 |
| 28 | Assembly | 25 April 2021 | 140 | 3,588,869 | 46.3 |
Local elections
editThe candidates column lists only the number of candidates for mayor of the municipality. It does not include candidates for member of the municipal council.[24]
| No. | Date | Candidates | Registered voters | Turnout % | |||||
| 1 | 26 July 1992 | 357 | 1,988,795 | 70.7 | |||||
| 2 | 20, 27 October 1996 | 357 | 58.5 | ||||||
| 3 | 1, 15 October 2000 | 374 | 2,329,639 | 50.7 | |||||
| 4 | 12 October 2003 | 373 | 2,703,608 | 45.7 | |||||
| 5 | 18 February 2007 | 373 | 2,929,293 | 46.3 | |||||
| 6 | 8 May 2011 | 373 | 3,166,279 | 50.9 | |||||
| 7 | 21 June 2015 | 61 | 3,372,471 | 47.3 | |||||
| 8 | 30 June 2019 | 61 | 812,249 | 22.9 | |||||
| 9 | 14 May 2023 | 61 | 1,395,627 | 38.23 | |||||
| Partial elections were held on 1 September and 3 November 2013, 25 June 2017.[25] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ In accordance with Article 89 of the Albanian constitution, which was enacted in 1998, the president is prohibited from maintaining affiliation with any political party. Consequently, the individual elected to the presidency is required to renounce their party affiliations for the duration of their presidential term.[19]
References
edit- ^ "1998 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA" (PDF). osce.org. p. 12. Archived from the original on 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
The Assembly consists of 140 deputies. One hundred deputies are elected directly in single member electoral zones with an approximately equal number of voters. Forty deputies are elected from multi-name lists of parties or party coalitions according to their ranking
- ^ "Exit Explains: What the Changes to the Electoral Code Mean for Voters". Exit - Explaining Albania. 2020-10-07. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ "IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: Albania". Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ "PART XII ALLOCATION OF SEATS". THE ELECTORAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA (English translation by OSCE) (pdf). p. 140. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "Albanian parliament adopts new electoral law — EUbusiness.com - business, legal and economic news and information from the European Union". Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ Ex-communist Albania changes voting system in constitutional shake up - International Herald Tribune
- ^ "ALBANIA: parliamentary elections Kuvendi Popullor, 1991". archive.ipu.org. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ a b The 1991 Elections in Albania (PDF). Tirana: National Republican Institute for International Affairs. 1991. p. 7.
- ^ Zogaj, Preç (2014). Fillimet (in Albanian) (2nd ed.). UET Press. p. 349. ISBN 9789928190185.
- ^ "ALBANIA: parliamentary elections Kuvendi Popullor, 1997". archive.ipu.org. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- ^ "Kodi Zgjedhor i Republikës së Shqipërisë, Ligj Nr.8609, datë 08.05.2000". Center of Official Publications. Tirana. 8 May 2000. Archived from the original on 2021-11-14.
- ^ OSCE 1998, pp. 17–18.
- ^ OSCE 1998, p. 17, article 86.
- ^ OSCE 1998, p. 18, article 89.
- ^ a b c d e f OSCE 1998, p. 17, article 87.
- ^ a b c OSCE 1998, p. 17, article 88.
- ^ a b c OSCE 1998, p. 18, article 91.
- ^ Semini, Llazar (4 June 2022). "Albania elects top general as the country's new president". Associated Press (AP). Archived from the original on 12 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Albania". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 22 November 1998. p. 18. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Zgjedhjet për Kuvend 25 prill 2021" (in Albanian). Tirana: Komisioni Qendror i Zgjedhjeve (KQZ). Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Albania, Parliamentary Elections, 25 April 2021: Final Report". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ "A e dini se këto janë zgjedhjet e 27 parlamentare në Shqipëri?!". Gazeta Express. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
- ^ Political Parties of Eastern Europe
- ^ Historia e zgjedhjeve lokale në Shqipëri
- ^ "Më 25 qershor, zgjedhjet parlamentare dhe ato lokale në Kavajë".
Sources
edit- The 1991 Elections in Albania (PDF). National Republican Institute for International Affairs (NRIIA). 1991. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- "The Elections in Albania March-April 1991" (PDF). Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). April 1991. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- "Constitution of the Republic of Albania". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 22 November 1998. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- Elsie, Robert (2010). Historical Dictionary of Albania. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9-780-8-1087-3803. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- "Transitional Justice in Albania". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- Luarasi, Aleks (May 1997). "Legal and Institutional Reform in Albania after the Democratic Revolution (1991 – 1997)" (PDF). North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.