Constitution of Albania
The document succeeded the 1976 Constitution, originally adopted at the creation of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania on 28 December 1976 and heavily amended on 29 April 1991.
[5] The Constitution is divided into 18 parts which sanction a parliamentary democracy, people's sovereignty and fundamental rights of the citizens as well as other important points.
Among the old laws is the Kanuni i Lek Dukagjinit, a sort of constitution respected by majority of Albanians throughout centuries.
During the National Renaissance of the 19th century, Albanians founded the League of Prizren and in the meantime a provisional government for the Albanian-speaking territories of the Ottoman Empire.
In opposition to this, the Albanian leaders held Congress of Lushnjë at which they decided to defend the sovereignty of their country and fight against any foreign invasions.
[9] The Republic had a bicameral legislature (Chamber of Deputies and Senate) that elected a President, who was head of state and of government (Council of Ministers) for a seven-year term.
In practice, however, Zog retained the same dictatorial powers he'd held as president, and the country was still essentially a military dictatorship.
Fascist collaborators in Albania offered the throne to Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, an act that heavily violated the Constitution of the Albanian Kingdom.
2), and in a similar manner to its predecessor entrenched the rule of the Party of Labour of Albania as the leading force in the Albanian society and "the vanguard of the working class" (Art.
State organs, the People's Assembly as the legislative organ, the Presidium of the People's Assembly as a de facto collegial head of state, and the Council of Ministers as the executive branch were described to function in a similar way as in a parliamentary democracy.
The 1976 Constitution remained in effect until September 5, 1991, when a temporary basic law was passed to legalize a pluralist system and re-establish a capitalist economy in Albania.
