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 a four year term. 100 are elected directly in single member constituencies with an approximately equal number of voters. 40 are 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 shall be, to the closest possible extent, proportional to the valid votes won by them on the national scale in the first round of elections. Parties that receive less than 2.5% and party coalitions that receive less than 4% of the valid votes on the national scale in the first round of elections do not benefit from the respective multi-name list. 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.

The electoral system was changed on 21 April 2008 from a partial majority system to a new system with proportional representation in each of the country's twelve regions; 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. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/22/europe/EU-POL-Albania-Constitution.php Ex-communist Albania changes voting system in constitutional shake up - International Herald Tribune ] ]

Latest election

Past elections

The Parliament that emerged from elections on June 29, 1997, was led by the Socialist Party (PS), which took 101 of the 155 seats. The Democratic Party (PD) won 27 seats. The Social Democrats (PSD) won eight seats (including the Speaker's), and the Unity for Human Rights party (PBDNJ) won four. Among the remaining seats, Balli Kombëtar (PBK) won three, the Democratic Alliance (PAD), Republican (PR), and Legality and Unity of the Right (PLL) parties won two each; the Agrarian (PAS), Christian Democrat (PDK), and National Unity Party (PUK) won one each, and independents three. Percent of vote by party - PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%, PSD 2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%, PDK 1.00%.

Results of the election of June 24, 2001: percentage of vote by party - PS 41.5%, PD & coalition allies 36.8%, NDP 5.2%, PSD 3.6%, PBDNJ 2.6%, PASH 2.6%, PAD 2.5%; seats by party - PS 73, PD & coalition allies 46, NDP 6, PSD 4, PBDNJ 3, PAS 3, PAD 3, independents 2.

ee also

* Electoral calendar
* Electoral system

References

External links

* [Political Parties in Albania: 1912-2006/, Afrim Krasniqi, Tirana, 2007]
* [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/albania/ Adam Carr's Election Archive]
* [http://www.parties-and-elections.de/albania.html Parties and elections]