Electoral Process In Albania

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Elections in Albania have always been a difficult and complicated matter. Seven different electoral systems have been utilized since the end of single-party Communist rule and the Electoral Code has been written and modified eight times only the past 10 years (its amelioration and approximation with western standards from year to year is noticeable, however the lack of provisions for the right to vote for people with intellectual disabilities has been a talked about issue lately). The public has no trust on the electoral administration and elections are contested on regular basis. Since 1991 Albania has undergone many electoral processes, but the electoral culture and experience still remain immature. Ironically enough the most democratic …show more content…

Given the controversy surrounding these elections, the progress of Albania's democratic transition was yet again questioned . The problematic findings were numerous (31 issues and recommendations) such as: the composition of electoral commissions, the modification of the electoral law favouring the party in power, the counting process, the violence toward the opposition candidates and media members etc. Armed dissidents threatened the elections and the later incarceration of the leader of the opposition demonstrated that Albania took a step backwards in the democratization process. “The happenings broke the trust of Albanian citizens in the political parties and institutions” . The state-protected economic pyramid schemes, in which numerous people had invested almost all of their savings, collapsed in 1997. Albania fell into complete anarchy. The country was divided into areas of influence based on their political affiliation and the rule of law was practically non-existent. The historical political cleavage culminated dividing the people according to they political viewpoints and alienating them from …show more content…

For the first time in Albania we see (although in blurry lines) the elements for a minimalist conception of democracy: universal suffrage; free and fair elections; alternative sources of information; pluralism. I’m not stating these elements were fully met, but there was considerable change and the continuous influence of the international actors enabled this advancement. [Thus, the criterion of the main political decision to be made by domestic elected political authorities is not

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