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Albania
Albania has a record of competitive elections, though political parties are highly polarized and often organized around leading personalities. Religious freedom and freedom of assembly are generally respected. Corruption and bribery remain major problems, though the government is working to address corruption in the judiciary.
Research & Recommendations
Albania
PR Political Rights | 28 40 |
CL Civil Liberties | 40 60 |
Overview
Albania has a record of competitive elections, though political parties are highly polarized and often organized around leading personalities. Religious freedom and freedom of assembly are generally respected. Corruption and bribery remain major problems, though the government is working to address corruption in the judiciary.
Democratic governments and donors must increase and sustain support for those working to defend and promote fundamental freedoms around the world. Failure to do so emboldens autocrats and can result in the loss of hard-won progress.
The events of the past year in places such as Nagorno-Karabakh and the Gaza Strip provided stark evidence that populations without self-determination are at greater risk of extreme human rights abuses or atrocities.
At least 40 countries are holding national-level elections in 2024, and many more will conduct other types of balloting. Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of any democracy, and independent and transparent electoral processes are necessary to foster genuine competition and public trust.
Albania
DEMOCRACY-PERCENTAGE Democracy Percentage | 46.43 100 |
DEMOCRACY-SCORE Democracy Score | 3.79 7 |
Overview
Albania’s democracy experienced numerous challenges in 2023, especially during the local elections in May, which further consolidated the ruling party’s dominant position in the country. Several journalists were subjected to verbal and physical attacks throughout the year, and the working environment and conditions for journalists have deteriorated in 2023 compared to previous years. The main opposition party in parliament, the Democratic Party, continued to experience internal conflict and was split into factions led by dueling party leaders Lulzim Basha and Sali Berisha. This weak position ultimately resulted in little oversight of the government, led by the Socialists and Prime Minister Edi Rama, and, later, outright violence in the parliament.
The future of European democracy and security is now inextricably linked to the fate of Ukraine. European Union (EU) and NATO member states must not only invest far more—and more efficiently—in their collective defense, but also provide Ukraine with the assistance it needs to roll back Russian advances and build a durable democracy of its own.
In addition to defending the international order from emboldened autocrats, democratic governments must attend to democratic renewal within Europe, particularly among nascent democracies.
Military aggression from autocracies in the region has underscored the dangers of exclusion from democracy-based organizations like the EU and NATO, galvanizing the political will of policymakers in aspiring member states and generating further public pressure to undertake long-sought democratic reforms.