The Albanian Armed Forces are the military of Albania and were formed after the declaration of independence in 1912. Today, it consists of the General Staff, the Albanian Land Force, Albanian Air Force and the Albanian Naval Force.
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.
Edi Rama is an Albanian politician and painter who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 1998 to 2000. First elected mayor of Tirana in 2000, he was reelected in 2003 and 2007.
Education in Albania for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels are mostly supported by the state. The academic year is much similar to that as in the United States, classes starts almost in September or October and end in June or July. Albanian is the language of instruction in all public schools. The education takes place in three stages such as the primary, secondary, and pre-university education. There are about 5000 schools throughout the nation.
The Directorate of State Security, commonly called the Sigurimi, was the state security, intelligence and secret police service of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. Its proclaimed goal was maintaining state security of Albania, but de facto the Sigurimi served to suppress political activity among the populace and preserve the existing political system. It is regarded as one of the most feared and repressive agencies to ever exist.
The State Intelligence Service, commonly known by its acronym SHISH, is the main intelligence agency of Albania. It was preceded by SHIK.
In 1997, Albania experienced widespread civil unrest due to economic problems caused by the collapse of pyramid schemes. The large sums of money siphoned from the government to fund these schemes led to the collapse of the Democratic Party's government in January 1997. The conflict, which lasted until August 1997, resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 people. The establishment of a new government occurred as revolutionaries surrounded Tirana. Various sources also describe the ensuing violence as a rebellion or even a civil war.
Communist Albania, officially the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 until 1976, then as the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1976 to 1991, and as the Republic of Albania from 1991 to 1992, was the communist state in Albania from 1946 to 1991. It succeeded the Democratic Government of Albania (1944–1946). During this time period, the country was ruled mainly by Enver Hoxha and the Party of Labour of Albania who ruled Albania by establishing a Stalinist, and later Hoxhaist, style of state administration and adhering to policies which stressed national unity and self-reliance. This period from 1946 to 1985 is referred to as Hoxhaist Albania, the Hoxhaist regime, or simply the Hoxha regime.
The Albanian passport is a travel document issued by the Ministry of Interior to Albanian citizens to enable them to travel abroad. They are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the Albanian ID card.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Albania:
The fall of communism in Albania, the last such event in Europe outside the Soviet Union, started in December 1990 with student demonstrations in the capital, Tirana, although protests started in January that year in other cities like Shkodër and Kavajë. The Central Committee of the communist Party of Labour of Albania allowed political pluralism on 11 December and the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, was founded the next day. March 1991 elections left the Party of Labour in power, but a general strike and urban opposition led to the formation of a "stability government" that included non-communists. Albania's former communists were routed in elections in March 1992 amid economic collapse and social unrest, with the Democratic Party winning most seats and its party head, Sali Berisha, becoming president.
Lazarat is a village in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. It is located in the Dropull valley. Formerly functioning as a municipality, as part of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality of Gjirokastër. The former municipality consisted of the villages Lazarat and Kordhocë.
Dritan Dajti is a notorious mobster from Albania who was the Boss Of The Kavaje Street boys gang In Tirana from 2003-2009. He is mostly known for the brutal murder of four police officers August 7, 2009 during an operation to arrest him in Durrës. The incident marked one of the deadliest confrontations between law enforcement and organized crime in the country’s history.
The Fire and Rescue service is a government department in the Republic of Albania responsible for preventing dangers related to the spread of fires, protecting citizens’ lives and property affected by the fires while being involved in rescue and relief operations and providing recovery following a disaster. The PMNZSH operates at a local level in conjunction with the General Directorate of Civil Emergencies and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Albanian Military Police is a provost independent branch of the Albanian Armed Forces responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in Albania and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises. The PU it is under the authority of Ministry of Defence. Its tasks increase during wartime to include traffic control organisation and POW and refugee control. The Military Police are distinguished from other units by their wearing of black uniform and the blue brassard worn around the left upper arm, with the "MP" lettering in white, symbol of military police.
The Border and Migration Police is a law enforcement branch of the Albanian State Police. It is tasked to oversee and control the transiting of goods and persons across the country's territory. The Border and Migration Police carries out enforcement measures to prevent the illegal border crossings of foreign nationals and nationals engaged in the illegal trafficking of goods. It cooperates with other state police branches in effort to facilitate an efficient management of the borders that are safe and secure.
The motorways in Albania are the controlled-access highway system in Albania predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy. The motorways are characterised as roads with at least two lanes in each driving direction including an emergency lane and a maximum allowed speed limit of not less than 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).
Halim Jakova-Gostivari (1878–1927) was an Albanian politician, lawyer and public official who served as the first director of the Albanian State Police, a post which he held for three separate terms.
Artan Cuku was an Albanian police official and businessman, who was proclaimed Martyr of the Homeland. He served in various high-ranking positions within the Albanian State Police, including First Director of Police in Vlorë County, Vice Director in multiple districts, and Head of the Anti-Money Laundering Sector. Cuku was also the founder of the private security guard service, International Security Albania, and was nicknamed "The Iron Director" for his strict leadership style.
On 16 June 2014, around 800 heavily armed Albanian police officers began a large scale raid in the mountain village of Lazarat, targeting cannabis growers, as part of a nation-wide operation to quell illegal cannabis plantations. Armed drug gang members responded with fire from automatic rifles, RPG-7s and mortars. After a four-day siege, the police captured Lazarat and its surrounding fields. Fourteen villagers and mafiosos were arrested. No fatalities were reported. Following the capture of the village, the police destroyed around 91,000 cannabis plants.
