Freedom in the World 2018 - Albania

Freedom Status: Partly Free
Aggregate Score: 68 (0 = Least Free, 100 = Most Free)
Freedom Rating: 3.0 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)
Political Rights: 3 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)
Civil Liberties: 3 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Quick Facts

Population: 2,900,000
Capital: Tirana
GDP/capita: $3,935
Press Freedom Status: Partly Free

OVERVIEW

Albania has a record of competitive elections, though political parties are highly polarized and often focused on leading personalities. Civil liberties such as religious freedom and freedom of assembly are respected. Corruption and organized crime remain serious problems despite recent government efforts to address them, and the intermingling of powerful business, political, and media interests inhibits the development of truly independent news outlets.

Key Developments in 2017:

• In February, the opposition Democratic Party (PD) began boycotting the parliament, alleging that elections set to take place in June would be fraudulent.

• International mediation efforts ended the political deadlock, and elections were held in June, just one week later than scheduled. The incumbent Socialist Party (PS) won the elections, which monitors assessed as generally well-conducted.

• In October, prosecutors requested that the parliament permit the arrest of a PS lawmaker on drug trafficking charges, but the PS-controlled parliament voted down a measure to revoke his immunity.

POLITICAL RIGHTS: 28 / 40

A. ELECTORAL PROCESS: 8 / 12

The president is the head of state and is chosen by the parliament for a maximum of two five-year terms; the office does not hold executive power, though the president heads the military and plays an important role in selecting senior judges. The prime minister is the head of government, and is designated by the majority party or coalition. Because both the president and prime minister are selected by lawmakers, their legitimacy is generally dependent on the conduct of parliamentary elections.

In April 2017, Ilir Meta, the head of the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI), was selected as president. PS leader Edi Rama retained his position as prime minister of Albania following the 2017 parliamentary elections.

Albania is a parliamentary republic. The unicameral, 140-member Kuvendi (Assembly) is elected through proportional representation in 12 regional districts of varying size. All members serve four-year terms.

Events preceding the elections of June 2017 reflected ongoing distrust between the PD – the main opposition grouping – and the ruling PS. In December 2016, the president called parliamentary election for June. In response, the PD began boycotting the parliament in February, claiming that the PS would commit massive electoral fraud. A standoff ensued, with tensions escalating in May, when the PD held a large opposition protest in Tirana. However, international mediators from the US and EU facilitated an agreement between the two parties later in May, under which the PD was guaranteed several positions in the government, including one deputy prime minister, six ministers, the chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), and directors of several public agencies.

Elections were held in June, a week later than initially scheduled. The PS won 74 of the 140 seats, enough to govern without the support of other parties. Voter turnout was 46.8 percent. Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) generally praised the polls' conduct, but noted that the mediated agreement that facilitated elections resulted in the "selective and inconsistent application" of electoral laws. The mission also noted allegations of vote-buying and voter intimidation.

The OSCE, in its report on the 2017 polls, expressed concern that the CEC had not always operated with transparency, and at times had failed to sanction parties that committed electoral violations, such as failing to adhere to gender quotas in certain districts. The OSCE additionally noted that the CEC faced a number of logistical challenges in administering elections due to the provisions of the political agreement that facilitated the polls, and that the agreement had subverted parts of the electoral framework. For example, as part of the deal a new CEC chairperson was installed weeks before the elections, outside of the standard legal procedure.

B. POLITICAL PLURALISM AND PARTICIPATION: 13 / 16

Albanian citizens generally have the right to organize in political parties. The two main political parties, the PS and the PD, are sharply polarized and given to personality-driven rivalry.

Candidates for legislative elections who do not belong to a party currently seated in the parliament must collect a set number of signatures in order to run. The OSCE noted that in 2017, the CEC refused requests by the opposition for additional scrutiny of signatures supporting candidates for certain parties, which reduced transparency and could potentially contribute to an unequal playing field among political parties.

Albania's multiparty system provides ample opportunity for opposition parties to participate in the political process, and elections have resulted in the rotation of power among parties.

People are generally free to make their own political choices, but powerful economic actors have some ability to shape the political sphere through their media holdings and influence on electoral campaigns.

Election officials provided voter education materials in minority languages for the 2017 polls. Members of the Roma minority and other marginalized groups remain vulnerable to political exploitation and vote-buying schemes, such as ones involving the distribution of fuel vouchers or cash. Women are underrepresented both in politics and election administration roles.

C. FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT: 7 / 12

In 2017, elections, and thus the timely formation of a new government, were threatened by an impasse between the PD and PS that persisted until international mediators facilitated a political agreement. Once installed, Albanian governments are generally able to formulate and implement policy.

Corruption is pervasive, and the EU has repeatedly called for rigorous implementation of antigraft measures. Convictions of high-ranking officials and judges for corruption and abuse of power are rare. The Special Prosecutor Service was established as part of 2016 reforms and is tasked with prosecuting high-level corruption; it is functional but has yet to achieve full operational capacity. In October, the office issued a request to the parliament to arrest former interior minister Saimir Tahiri, a PS lawmaker, on drug trafficking charges. Ruling party lawmakers declined to revoke his parliamentary immunity on the grounds that the prosecutors needed to present incriminating evidence against him to the parliament.

A robust law on access to information is not well implemented; in 2017, the Albanian nongovernmental organization (NGO) Mjaft that evaluated the transparency of Albanian institutions, and found that only 42 percent of the requests for information were answered, and that local governments were the least transparent.

CIVIL LIBERTIES: 40 / 60

D. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND BELIEF: 13 / 16

While the constitution guarantees freedom of expression, the intermingling of powerful business, political, and media interests inhibits the development of independent news outlets; most are seen as biased toward either the PS or the PD. Reporters have little job security and remain subject to lawsuits, intimidation, and occasional physical attacks by those facing media scrutiny.

The OSCE media monitoring of the 2017 election campaign noted that most campaign coverage shown on television was footage prepared and submitted by the political parties themselves. The main public broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), and several private outlets provided more balanced reporting.

The constitution provides for freedom of religion, which is generally upheld in practice.

The government typically does not limit academic freedom, though teachers in several districts have faced pressure ahead of elections to participate in political rallies.

There are no significant restrictions on free and open private discussion, including for online blogs and social media.

E. ASSOCIATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RIGHTS: 9 / 12

Freedom of assembly is generally respected. Demonstrations by opposition parties and civic groups are common, and they have generally been peaceful. Notably, a large opposition protest took place peacefully in May 2017, amid tensions related to the standoff between the PD and PS.

NGOs function without restriction, but have limited funding and policy influence.

The constitution guarantees workers the rights to organize and bargain collectively, and most have the right to strike. However, effective collective bargaining remains limited, and union members have little protection against discrimination by employers.

F. RULE OF LAW: 9 / 16

The constitution provides for an independent judiciary, but the underfunded courts are subject to political pressure and influence, and public trust in judicial institutions is low. In 2016, parliament approved a variety of reforms designed to boost the independence and capacity of the judiciary. Implementation of the reforms, considered essential to the country's bid to join the EU, has been slow.

Constitutional guarantees of due process are upheld inconsistently. Trial procedures can be affected by corruption within the judiciary, and are sometimes closed to the public. Legal counsel is not always provided to those that cannot afford their own. Traditional tribal law is practiced in parts of northern Albania, and sometimes involves revenge killings.

Reports of police abuse of detainees continues. Prison inmates suffer from poor living conditions and a lack of adequate medical treatment.

Drug-related crime remains a problem, as Albania is a transit country for heroin smugglers and a key site for European cannabis production. Albanian police destroyed a number of cannabis plantations in 2016 and 2017, a shift from a previous practices in which officials had generally turned a blind eye to the problem, in part because cannabis production lowered unemployment in distressed rural areas.

Roma face significant discrimination in education, health care, employment, and housing. A 2010 law bars discrimination based on race and several other categories, including sexual orientation and gender identity, and a 2013 reform of the criminal code introduced protections against hate crimes and hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, bias against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people remains strong in practice.

G. PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS: 9 / 16

Albanians generally enjoy freedom of movement and choice of residence or employment, though criminal activity and practices related to traditional honor codes limit these rights in some areas. Access to higher education is affected by corruption.

Numerous property-restitution cases related to confiscations during the communist era remain unresolved. Illegal construction is a major problem, as is bribery linked to government approval of development projects.

The government generally does not place explicit restrictions on social freedoms. Authorities in the past have indicating a willingness to recognize same-sex marriages, but no policy developments have followed. In 2017, LGBT activists initiated procedures to ask the European Court of Human Rights to rule on the legality of same-sex partnerships in Albania.

Domestic violence is widespread, and while the parliament has adopted some measures to combat the problem in recent years, few cases are prosecuted. Police are poorly equipped to handle cases of domestic violence or spousal rape, which is often not understood to be a crime.

Women are underrepresented in the workforce, and LGBT people face employment discrimination.

Albania continues to struggle with human trafficking. However, authorities are becoming more proactive in addressing the issue, according to the U.S. State Department's 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report, which noted an increase in prosecutions and the use of a special fund that draws from the seized assets of traffickers to provide assistance to victims.