Politics of Albania

[3] The president represents the unity of the Albanian people in the country and abroad as the head of state and is also the commander-in-chief of the military.

[4] The president is nominated through a secret vote and without debate by the Parliament of Albania by a majority of three-fifths of all its members and is in every case elected for five years.

[5] The president maintains regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, safeguards the independence and territorial integrity of Albania and appoints prime ministers on the basis of the balance of power in the Parliament.

The oldest parliament with extant records was held on 2 March 1444, forged in Lezhë under Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu as the leader against the Ottoman Empire.

In April 2021 parliamentary election, ruling Socialist Party, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, secured its third consecutive victory, winning nearly half of votes and enough seats in parliament to govern alone.

[7] In February 2022, Albania's Constitutional Court overturned parliament's impeachment of President Ilir Meta, opponent of the ruling Socialist Party.

[8] Albania is a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and also an official candidate for membership in the European Union.

[9] The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Albania a "flawed democracy" in 2022,[10][needs update] with "free and fair elections" in place.

[11][12][needs update] Since the Declaration of Independence in 1912, Albania has experienced different models of governance, including an international protectorate, a monarchy, a state-party regime and the parliamentary republic as well.

Nowadays, the President of Albania (Presidenti) is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representative of the unity of the Albanian people.

It is composed of not less than 140 members elected to a four-year term on the basis of direct, universal, periodic and equal suffrage by secret ballot.

As of Article 45 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to vote, the people of Albania exercise their power through their elected representatives in the Parliament.

[20] The 1998 Constitution of Albania guarantees the right to vote without restriction due to sex, race, social status, education level, or wealth.

Within the constituencies, seats are elected by closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of 3% for parties and 5% for alliances.

[26] The county prefects and city and municipal mayors are elected to four-year terms by majority of votes cast within applicable local government units.

[27] It is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), United Nations (UN), Council of Europe, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and several others.

Since the collapse of communism in 1990, the country has extended its responsibilities and position in European and international affairs, supporting and establishing friendly relations with other nations.

Since 1992, it has been extensively engaged with NATO, and has maintained its position as a stability factor and a strong ally of the United States and European Union in the troubled and divided region of the Balkans.

[32] The government introduced a new administrative division to be implemented in 2015, whereby municipalities were reduced to 61, while rural ones called (Komuna) are abolished.

[35] As part of the reform, major town centers in the country were physically redesigned and façades painted to reflect a more Mediterranean look.