Albania’s Coming Election Will Decide Democracy’s Fate

Rama promised to fight corruption and organised crime, reform the healthcare and education systems, create 300,000 new jobs and accelerate EU integration.

Paradoxically, instead of moving the country forward, his premiership has become a major setback for the country.

The Socialist government soon exhibited major flaws when it came to fighting corruption and organised crime. People with notorious pasts and even criminal records were promoted in parliament and local government.

This led the opposition Democratic Party, with international support, to submit and get adopted in 2015 an unprecedented law, known as the de-criminalisation package, which aimed to remove from public office all people with criminal records.

The 2017 US State Department report on Drug and Criminal Control deemed Albania a significant source country for marijuana, as well as a transit route for cocaine and heroin destined for European markets.

Leaked wiretaps by Italian anti-mafia authorities led to the prosecution of a former Socialist interior minister, Saimiri Tahiri, for international drug trafficking and participation in a structured criminal organisation.

Albanian woman casts her vote at a polling station in Tirana, Albania, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

Democracy has also deteriorated during Rama's double governing terms.

Its troubled but still functioning democracy has further degraded towards authoritarian, one-man rule, intolerant towards freedom of expression and a free press.

Prime Minister Rama has personally harassed, filed defamation lawsuits against and insulted journalists, calling them trash cans as well as professionally incapable.

In 2019, his government proposed a controversial anti-defamation...