Read our findings on the Albanian parliamentary election!

2025 Parliamentary Election in Albania

On May 11, Albania held parliamentary elections. The Committee for Open Democracy applied to observe the election and was approved on April 29, 2025. COD received credentials from the Central Electoral Commission on May 8, 2025. The team consisted of Erik Herron and Enrijeta Shino.

Electoral System and Election AdministrationThe legal framework for elections in Albania is based on the Constitution and Electoral Code. The Electoral Code was adopted in 2008 and has been amended several times, with important revisions codified since the last parliamentary elections in 2021.

The foundation of the system is built on twelve regional multi-seat districts and includes both a closed-list and open-list component. For each district, parties field a closed list with no more than one-third of the total seats to be allocated, and an open list up to the total number of seats allocated to the region. During the seat distribution process, candidates on the closed list receive the first allocations. Any remaining seats that a party earns beyond the closed list are allocated to candidates based on their performance on the open list. Lists must adhere to a gender quota; for every three names on the list, the gender mix must include at least one member of the under-represented gender. Gender quotas extend to election administration bodies.

The 2025 elections introduced out-of-country voting for overseas Albanians. Albanians abroad could register on the Electronic Voter Platform from January 11-March 4, 2025 to receive a postal ballot from the contracted service provider, DHL. The package included local contact information for the DHL office to arrange pickup, an instruction pamphlet, a ballot, and two envelopes (envelope A for the anonymized ballot, and envelope B with identifying information). A special Vote Counting Center was established in Tirana to process these ballots.

The 2025 election continued a pilot project for electronic voting systems. Polling places in Tirana and Vorë used these systems.

Albania’s election administration is headed by the Central Electoral Commission. Several subordinate units are responsible for aspects of the election process. 93 Electoral Administration Zone Commissions manage the process in their respective zones.

Observations

The elections took place in a politically polarized environment, particularly between the two leading parties: the Socialist Party and Democratic Party. The team met with officials from these two parties, one minor party, and the Central Electoral Commission.

Meetings

Informational meetings were conducted with a representative of the Central Electoral Commission; representatives of the ruling Socialist Party and the primary opposition Democratic Party; leadership from the Shqiperia Behet Party; and, an American advisor to the Democratic Party.

Voting and Voting Counting Process

On election day, the COD team observed the process in thirteen polling places located in Tirana, Kamez, Vorë, Marikaj, and Durres. Following the closing of the polls, the team observed the vote counting process in the Overseas Diaspora Vote Counting Center on Sunday night (May 11), Monday, and Tuesday.

Overall, the process was conducted in a professional manner. COD observed minor problems in some polling places: Family voting without proper documentation, biometric scanners failing to recognize fingerprints (especially of older voters), some campaign materials displayed outside of a polling place, and a technical problem with an electronic voting machine. The staff of each polling place included technical support for the biometric scanner and electronic voting machine. These staff members were able to troubleshoot issues. COD observed some long lines, in part due to small polling places with one scanner and only two voting booths. However, the process was orderly and COD did not note evidence of intimidation or improper practices.

COD observed the vote count on election night and on May 12 and May 13 in the Overseas Diaspora Vote Counting Center in Tirana. The process was disrupted by Democratic Party supporters who demanded that votes from Greece be excluded from the count. COD observed a Democratic Party official, instructing counters at the table to exclude these ballots. After a delay, the CEC issued a decision to set aside these ballots. The count continued, and we observed the counting process over the next two days. COD concluded our observation before any candidate votes were counted.

In discussions with representatives of the two main parties, different narratives emerged about the integrity of the election process. Interlocutors from the Democratic Party consistently raised concerns about several aspects of the process and provided COD with four reports detailing allegations of misuse of public office, the initiation of public works projects during the election period, vote-buying and intimidation and other activities they claimed were directed by the ruling Socialist Party and its affiliated candidates and supporters. COD carefully reviewed these documents, but did not have sufficient resources to investigate their validity.

COD discussions with representatives of the Socialist Party revealed allegations of aggressive rhetoric from the Democratic Party and an alleged strategy to undermine confidence in the elections as an alternate explanation for their (potential) electoral defeat.

An example illustrates these counter-narratives. Representatives of both parties discussed the overseas diaspora voting process with COD. The Democratic Party characterized overseas voting as a process undermined by illicit activities by the Socialist Party. Notably, they claimed the Socialist Party used its control of civil service to coerce public employees to contact relatives and pressure them to vote for the party. Further, they alleged that voting from home was associated with fraud and their supporters had been denied access to mail ballots. They pointed to documented problems in Greece as an example.

The Socialist Party framed issues with overseas ballots differently. They claimed that their final vote tally is likely to be elevated in postal votes relative to in-country votes, and they argued that this was due to their voter mobilization strategy. Their initial strategy of holding rallies abroad to mobilize voters was ineffective, so they pivoted to a direct-contact strategy. The party reached out to its members and encouraged them to contact relatives living abroad to register and vote. They argued that this strategy was more effective, and contrasted it with a rally-based strategy they claimed the Democratic Party largely relied upon.

The parties posited two alternative explanations for Socialist Party over-performance in diaspora ballots: Systematic abuse of administrative resources, patronage networks and other methods of manipulation; or, a superior mobilization strategy based on personal contact that outperformed the rally-based strategy emphasized by the Democratic Party.

Candidates from both major parties who were on the open lists expressed concerns about potential miscounting during the vote tabulation process. From their perspective, the candidate count will receive less scrutiny than the party vote, leading to the potential for mischief. Candidates were concerned that they did not have observers associated with their campaigns to ensure their votes were not intentionally or unintentionally miscounted for other candidates. Because they believe these seats may be decided by small margins, the candidates expressed a strong preference to have better access to the vote counting centers to protect their votes.

Summary

On election day, COD observed a generally calm environment and a professional approach among members of polling place commissions. The process in the overseas vote counting center was more contentious, but became calm after the CEC decision. COD did not observe any incidents that raise significant concerns about the integrity of the election, but allegations of voter manipulation via the patronage system and issues with the distribution of postal ballots in Greece should receive further scrutiny and corrective action prior to the next election. In addition, the Albanian legislature should consider reforms to the Electoral Code that would address the challenges to the vote counting process for overseas ballots to avoid conflicts in future elections.