Elections in Albania

Albania holds elections on a national level for a legislature. The Assembly of Albania (Kuvendi i Shqipërisë) has 140 members elected for four-year terms. The electoral system is closed 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.^[1][2]

This electoral system replaced a mixed-member system in November 2008.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.

Latest election

Alliance	Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Alliance for a European Albania	Socialist Party	713,407	41.36	65	0
	Socialist Movement for Integration	180,470	10.46	16	+12
	Unity for Human Rights Party	14,722	0,85	1	0
	Social Democracy Party of Albania	11,891	0.69	0	0
	Social Democratic Party of Albania	10,220	0.59	0	0
	People's Alliance	8,927	0.52	0	New
	Christian Democratic Party	7,993	0,46	1	New
	Real Socialist Party 91	6,135	0.36	0	0
	Democratic Party for Integration and Prosperity	4,550	0.26	0	New
	National Arbëreshë Alliance	3,575	0.21	0	New
	Moderated Socialist Party	3,119	0.18	0	New
	G99	2,977	0.17	0	0
	Law and Justice Party	2,489	0.14	0	0
	Albanian Future Party	2,284	0.13	0	New
	Party for the Defence of the Rights of the Emigrants	2,275	0.13	0	0
	Albanian Social Labour Party	2,174	0.13	0	New
	Green Party	2,084	0.12	0	0
	Albanian Party of Democratic Reforms	1,371	0.08	0	0
	Albanian Communist Party of 8 November	1,352	0,08	0	New
	Party of the Liberal Right Thought	1,210	0.07	0	New
	Democratic Movement for Change	1,159	0.07	0	New
	Albanian Labour Party	955	0.06	0	New
	Albanian Communist Party	901	0.05	0	New
	Path of Freedom Party	808	0.05	0	0
	Alliance for European Equality and Justice	728	0.04	0	New
	Reorganised Albanian Labour Party	622	0,03	0	New
	Albanian Homeland Party	555	0.03	0	New
	Albanian National Reconciliation Party	545	0.03	0	New
	National Unity Party	513	0.03	0	New
	Albanian Movement for Justice	508	0.03	0	New
	Albanian Republican Unon	489	0.03	0	New
	Albanian Affairs Party	476	0.03	0	New
	Party of Disabled People	459	0.03	0	New
	Environmental Party	452	0.03	0	New
	Christian Democratic Alliance	416	0.02	0	New
	Albanian Workers Movement Party	316	0.02	0	New
	New Tolerance Party	287	0.02	0	0
	Total	993,904	57.63	83	–
Alliance for Employment, Prosperity and Integration	Democratic Party	528,373	30.63	50	–18
	Republican Party	52,168	3.02	3	+2
	Party for Justice, Integration and Unity	44,957	2.61	4	+3
	Christian Democratic Party	13,288	0.77	0	0
	Legality and Unity of the Right	6,089	0.35	0	0
	Movement for National Development	5,429	0.31	0	0
	National Front Party	4,868	0.28	0	0
	Party for the Future of the Greek Minority	3,305	0.19	0	New
	Liberal Democratic Union	2,681	0.16	0	0
	Environmentalist Agrarian Party	2,640	0.15	0	0
	Albanian Emigration Party	2,325	0.13	0	New
	New Albania Movement	2,320	0.13	0	New
	Democratic National Front Party	2,242	0.13	0	0
	Democratic Alliance Party	1,384	0.08	0	0
	Macedonian Alliance for European Integration	1,229	0.07	0	0
	Albanian Christian Democratic Movement	1,190	0.07	0	New
	Alliance for Democracy and Solidarity	1,065	0.06	0	0
	New European Democracy Party	970	0.06	0	0
	Time of Albania	770	0.04	0	New
	Party of the Real Albanian Path	635	0.04	0	New
	Conservative Party	633	0.04	0	0
	Albanian Democratic Union Party	606	0.04	0	New
	Party of Denied Rights	554	0.03	0	New
	New Party of Denied Rights	550	0.03	0	0
	Peoples Union of Albanian Retirees Party	406	0.02	0	New
	Total	680,677	39.46	57	–
New Democratic Spirit		29,310	1.70	0	New
Red and Black Alliance		10,196	0.59	0	New
League for Justice and Progress		1,068	0.06	0	New
Christian Democratic People's Party of Albania		416	0.02	0	New
Independents		9,208	0.53	0	0
Invalid/blank votes		24,099	–	–	–
Total		1,748,898	100	140	0
Registered voters/turnout		3,271,885	53.52	–	–
Source: CEC, IFES

Past elections

 Summary of the 28 June 2009 Assembly of Albania election results

Coalitions		Votes	%	Seats
Total "Alliance for Changes" (Center - Right)		712745	46.92	70
Total "Unification for Changes" (Center - Left)		688748	45.34	66
Total "Socialist Alliance" (Progressive Left)		84407	5.56	4
Total "Pole of Freedom" (Conservatism)		27655	1.82	0
Law and Justice Party of Albania (Partia Ligj dhe Drejtësi)	PLiDr	4865	0.32	0
Independent (Abdullah Adil Omurri)	PAVARUR	756	0.05	0
Total (turnout: %)		1519176	100.00	140
Source: CEC

 Summary of the 3 July 2005 Assembly of Albania election results

Parties	Votes PR	%	Seats
			Constituencies	PR	Total
Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë)	104,796	7.67	56	0	56
Socialist Party of Albania (Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë)	121,412	8.89	42	0	42
ALDM-National Front (Partia Balli Kombëtar Shqiptar)	457,143	33,46	0	18	18
ALDM-Republican Party of Albania (Partia Republikane e Shqipërisë)			-	11	11
ALDM-New Democratic Party (Partia Demokrate e Re)			-	4	4
ALDM-Christian Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Demokristiane e Shqipërisë)			-	2	2
ALDM-Liberal Democratic Union (Bashkimi Liberal Demokrat)			-	1	1
ALDM-Democratic National Front Party (Partia Ballik Kombëtar Demokrat)			-	-	-
ALDM-Albanian Democratic Union Party (Partia e Bashkimit Demokrat Shqiptar)			-	-	-
ALDM-Human Rights Liberation Movement (Lëvizja për të Drejtat dhe Liritë e Njeriut)			-	-	-
Social Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Socialdemokrate e Shqipërisë)	174,103	12.74	0	7	7
Socialist Movement for Integration (Lëvizja Socialiste për Intigrim)	114,798	8.40	1	4	5
Environmentalist Agrarian Party (Partia Agrare Ambientaliste)	89,635	6.56	-	4	4
Democratic Alliance Party (Partia Aleanca Demokratike)	65,093	4.76	-	3	3
Social Democracy Party of Albania (Partia Demokracia Sociale e Shqipërisë)	57,998	4.25	-	2	2
Unity for Human Rights Party (Partia Bashkimi për të Drejtat e Njeriut)	56,403	4.13	-	2	2
Non-partisans			1		1
Total	1,366,226	100.0	100	40	140
Source: OSCE The candidates of the Alliance for Freedom, Justice and Welfare (Aliansa për Liri, Drejtësi dhe Mirëqenie;;, Republican Party of Albania and allies) supported the candidates of the PDS in the constituencies, as did some of the informal PS allie with the PS candidates. Given the number of irregularities in the first ballot, re-elections were held in two constituencies in Shkodra and Lushnja on 21 August. These results have been included.

See also

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system

References

1. http://www.electionguide.org/country.php?ID=3
2. "PART XII ALLOCATION OF SEATS". THE ELECTORAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA (English translation by OSCE) (pdf). p. 140. Retrieved 22 September 2014. line feed character in |title= at position 19 (help)
3. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1227096121.33/
4. Ex-communist Albania changes voting system in constitutional shake up - International Herald Tribune

External links

• [Political Parties in Albania: 1912-2006/, Afrim Krasniqi, Tirana, 2007]
• Adam Carr's Election Archive
• Parties and elections
• Real Time Elections Result June 2009