Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, in which the president of Albania is the head of state and the prime minister of Albania is the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government and the prime minister with its Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Albania. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The political system of Albania is laid out in the 1998 constitution. The Parliament adopted the current constitution on 28 November 1998. Historically Albania has had many constitutions. Initially constituted as a monarchy in 1913, Albania became briefly a republic in 1925, and then a authoritarian monarchy in 1928. In 1939 Albania was invaded by Fascist Italian forces, imposing a puppet state, and later occupied by Nazi German forces. Following the partisan liberation from the Nazis in 1944 a provisional government was formed, which by 1946 had transformed into a communist one-party state. In March 1991 democracy was restored with multi-party elections.
The prime minister of Albania, officially the prime minister of the Republic of Albania, is the head of government of Albania. The office of the prime minister is a core institution in the politics of Albania formed after the Albanian declaration of independence on 28 November 1912. Since that time, the nation has navigated a dynamic political evolution spanning distinct periods, encompassing a monarchy, a communist regime and the eventual democratic order. In 1912, Ismail Qemali was inaugurated as the first prime minister of Albania, guiding the nation toward sovereignty amidst the complex conditions in the Balkans. In 1944, Enver Hoxha implemented a radical change in government, transforming Albania into an authoritarian and isolationist communist regime. In 1991, the nation transitioned into a democracy that marked a notable shift, when Fatos Nano emerged as the first post-communist prime minister of Albania.
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian cardiologist and conservative politician who served as the president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and as the 32nd prime minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013. Berisha has served as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania since 2022. He has previously held the position of Chairman from 1990 to 1992 and 1997 to 2013. He is the leader of opposition in Albania.
The president of Albania, officially the president of the Republic of Albania, is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representative of the unity of the Albanian people.
The Democratic Party of Albania is a conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013.
The coat of arms of Albania is an adaptation of the flag of Albania and is based on the symbols of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. It features the black double-headed eagle, documented in official use since 1458, as evidenced from a sealed document uncovered in the Vatican Secret Archive, addressed to Pope Pius II and co-sealed by notary Johannes Borcius de Grillis. The stylized gold helmet is partially based on the model of crown-like rank that once belonged to Skanderbeg, currently on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, first mentioned in 1593 in the Ambras armory inventory and depicted in 1601/03 in the "Armamentarium Heroicum" of Jakob Schrenck von Notzing. The ruler of Austria, Ferdinand II, acquired the helmet from the Duke of Urbino, so mentioned in a letter sent to him from the duke, dated 15 October 1578.
Ilir Rexhep Meta is an Albanian politician who served as President of Albania from 2017 to 2022.
Aleksandër Gabriel Meksi is an Albanian archaeologist and politician who served as the 28th Prime Minister of Albania from April 13, 1992, to March 11, 1997. A former archaeologist, he was the first person to be prime minister of Albania after the end of communist rule. Meksi was a member of the Democratic Party of Albania and took office at the same time as President Sali Berisha, who also belonged to that party. Before entering politics, Meksi was a researcher and restorer of monuments of medieval architecture.
The Parliament of Albania or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a four-year term on the basis of direct, universal, periodic and equal suffrage by secret ballot. The Parliament is presided over by the Speaker, who is assisted by at least one deputy speaker. The electoral system is based on party-list proportional representation. There are 12 multi-seat constituencies, corresponding to the country's counties.
Lulzim Basha is an Albanian lawyer and politician who served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania and as the Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2022 and again from 2023 until 2024.
Orders, decorations and medals of Albania are state decorations regulated and bestowed by the Republic of Albania.
Enkelejd Alibeaj is a member of the Albanian parliament. He was the minister of justice in Albania from 2005 to 2009. He was a member of the Democratic Party of Albania from 2005 to 2024.
The law of Albania is civil law.
Local elections were held in Albania on 21 June 2015. Voters elected mayors, municipal council members, municipal unit mayors and municipal unit members. The Central Election Commission of Albania was responsible for administrating the elections. This provided that the community type of komuna was abolished and at the same time the total number of communities were reduced from 373 to 61 Bashkia. Those entitled to vote elected the executive and legislative representatives of their communities, the 61 mayors (and on the other hand the total of 1595 municipal councils.
Albania had an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an honorary consulate in Tirana. The history of diplomatic relations of Albania and Portugal dates back to 1922, when Portugal recognized Albania's independence on May 25, 1922.
The second Government of Prime Minister Edi Rama was the 66th ruling Government of the Republic of Albania which was officially mandated by the President on 13 September 2017. Following the 2017 election, the Socialist Party won a majority of seats to Parliament and had the right to form the government without the need of a coalition.
The Buna River-Velipojë Protected Landscape is a protected landscape area in northwestern Albania, encompassing the estuary of Drin, the lagoon of Viluni, the river of Buna with its estuary, and the gulf of Drin that runs across the city of Velipojë alongside the Adriatic Sea.
The "Mother Teresa" Decoration is an honorary decoration of the Republic of Albania given to Albanian and foreign citizens for outstanding acts of humanity towards the Albanian nation and the world. Named after the Catholic nun and saint Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, the decoration is given by the President of Albania. The proposer could be the President or institutions of authority. The Mother Teresa award is considered the highest award in Albania.
The third Government of Prime Minister Edi Rama is the 67th ruling Government of the Republic of Albania. The Government was officially confirmed by President Ilir Meta on 18 September 2021. Following the 2021 election, the Socialist Party won, for the third consecutive time, a majority of seats in the Albanian Parliament, and, for the second consecutive time, the ability to form a government without the need for a coalition.
Bashkë Fitojmë is an Albanian political coalition led by Sali Berisha, the leader of the Democratic Party of Albania and Ilir Meta, the leader of the Freedom Party of Albania. It was founded originally as House of Freedom.
