2024 in Albania

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2024 List of years in Albania

Events in the year 2024 in Albania .

Incumbents

• President: Bajram Begaj
• Prime Minister: Edi Rama
• Deputy Prime Minister: Belinda Balluku

Events

January

• 29 January to 11 February – 2024 World Snooker Federation (WSF) Championships, in Golem. ^[1]

February

• 22 February – The Parliament of Albania votes 77–0 to ratify an agreement with Italy to host migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach the country until 2029. ^[2]

March

• 5 March – The Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime imposes a two-year suspended sentence on Dhionisios Alfred Beleri, the mayor of Himare, for vote-buying, sparking a diplomatic row with Greece, ^[3] where he is named as a candidate by the ruling New Democracy party for the 2024 European Parliament election. ^[4]

April

• 2 April – A car carrying migrants plunges into the Vjosa River in Gjirokastër District, killing all eight people on board. ^[5]

June

• 21 June – A massive power outage leaves several areas of the country without electricity. ^[6]

July

• 1 July – Internationally-acclaimed author Ismail Kadare dies in a hospital in Tirana at the age of 88. ^[7]
• 5 July – Dhionisios Alfred Beleri is removed as mayor of Himarë following his conviction for vote-buying. ^[8]
• 11 July – Thousands of anti-government protesters gather outside the Prime Minister's office and the Presidential office building in Tirana, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demanding his resignation, as well as the release of opposition leader Sali Berisha from house arrest. ^[9]

August

• 4 August – An early election is held in Himarë to replace Dhionisios Alfred Beleri following his conviction and imprisonment. ^[10] The vote is won by Vangjel Tavo of the Socialist Party. ^[11]

September

• 11 September –
  • Former prime minister Sali Berisha is charged with corruption for allegedly abusing his office to help his son-in-law privatize public land for a real-estate project in Tirana. ^[12]
  • The All Afghan Women's Summit is held in Tirana, during which more than 130 Afghan women gather to protest the crackdown on women's rights in Afghanistan by the Taliban. ^[13]
• 22 September – Prime minister Edi Rama announces plans to create a new sovereign European microstate, the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order, enclaved within Tirana. ^[14]
• 30 September – A brawl breaks out in Parliament after Democratic Party MPs stage a protest over the conviction of lawmaker Ervin Salianji for slander. ^[15]

October

• 3 October – A brawl breaks out in Parliament following a protest by Democratic Party MPs over the conviction of Ervin Salianji. ^[16]
• 7 October – Riots break out in Tirana as police fire tear gas against opposition protestors, with the Democratic Party demanding a caretaker cabinet. ^[17]
• 11 October – Italy opens two migrant processing centers in Shengjin and Gjader. ^[18]
• 14 October – Italy initiates the transfer of migrants to Albania under a new agreement. ^[19]
• 18 October – A court in Italy orders a halt to the Italian government's policy of sending migrants to Albania, citing rulings by the European Court of Justice regarding the safety of repatriating migrants to their countries of origin. ^[20]
• 21 October – Former president Ilir Meta is arrested in Tirana by the SPAK on suspicion of corruption, money laundering and hiding personal income and property. ^[21]

November

• 27 November – Former prime minister Sali Berisha is released from house arrest following a court order revoking his detention since 2023. ^[22]

December

• 21 December – The government announces a one-year ban on TikTok beginning in 2025 amid outcry over the stabbing death of a teenager following a dispute that began on the social media platform. ^[23]

Arts and entertainment

• List of Albanian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Holidays

Further information: Public holidays in Albania

Source: ^{[24] [25]}

• 1–2 January – New Year holidays
• 14 March – Day of summer
• 22 March – Nowruz Day
• 31 March – Catholic Easter Sunday
• 10 April – Eid al-Fitr
• 1 May – Labour Day
• 5 May – Orthodox Easter
• 16 June – The Day of Kurban Bayram
• 5 September – Saint Teresa's Consecration Day
• 28 November – Flag and Independence Day
• 29 November – Liberation Day
• 8 December – National Youth Day
• 25 December - Christmas Day

References

1. "Albania to Host 2024 World Snooker Federation Championships". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
2. "Albanian Parliament approves controversial deal to hold migrants for Italy". Associated Press. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
3. "Albanian mayor from Greek minority is imprisoned for vote buying. That's likely to anger Greece". Associated Press. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
4. "Greece names a convicted politician from Albania's ethnic Greek minority as candidate in EU election". Associated Press. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
5. "Vehicle carrying suspected migrants crashes into a river in Albania, killing 8 people". Associated Press. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
6. "Major power outage hits Balkan region as countries swelter in early summer heat wave". AP News. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
7. "Albania's world-renowned novelist Ismail Kadare dies at 88". AP News. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
8. "Albanian authorities strip ethnic Greek mayor of his post for alleged vote buying". AP News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
9. "Albanian anti-government protesters hurl petrol bombs and scuffle with police". Reuters . July 11, 2024.
10. "Albanians vote for new mayor of ethnic Greek town in a case that has sparked tensions with Athens". Associated Press . August 4, 2024.
11. "Albania's governing Socialist Party wins mayoral poll in a town with ethnic Greek minority". Associated Press . August 5, 2024.
12. "Albania's former prime minister Sali Berisha is formally charged with corruption". Associated Press. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
13. Kelly, Annie (2024-09-11). "Afghan women meet in Albania in 'act of defiance' against Taliban crackdown". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-12.
14. "Premier says Albania will grant sovereignty to Bektashi Muslims in Tirana, similar to the Vatican". Associated Press. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
15. "Albania's opposition violently interrupt parliament session after lawmaker is sentenced to jail". Associated Press. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
16. "Albanian opposition MPs try to disrupt Parliament to protest a colleague's imprisonment". Associated Press. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
17. "Albania's police fire teargas to disperse protesters hurling petrol bombs". Reuters. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
18. "Italy formally opens centers in Albania to process male migrants intercepted in international waters". Associated Press. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
19. "Italy dispatches first group of migrants to Albania, source say". Reuters. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
20. "Italy judges reject first migrant detentions in Albania". France 24. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
21. "Albania's former president Meta is arrested for alleged corruption". Associated Press. 21 October 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
22. "Albanian opposition leader facing corruption charges is released from house arrest". Associated Press. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
23. "Albania to close TikTok for a year blaming it for promoting violence among children". Associated Press. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
24. "Albania Public Holidays 2024". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
25. "Kalendari i festave zyrtare për vitin 2024" [Calendar of official holidays for 2024]. Bank of Albania (in Albanian). Retrieved 17 November 2023.

External links

Media related to 2024 in Albania at Wikimedia Commons

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