Freedom House report: Democracy in Albania Without Progress

Albania continues to be identified in the category of hybrid/democratic regimes in transition, including those countries where democratic institutions are fragile and where there are fundamental challenges for protection of political rights and civil freedoms.

The report says that governance at the national level in Albania is democratic, but dominated by party policy customer. The elections are generally competitive, but they are often damaged by vote buying, vote manipulation and other shortcomings.

Similarly, the report estimates that civil society plays a somewhat active role in relation to debate and public interests, but suffers from insufficient financing and inadequate involvement in policy consulting, as required by law.

According to “Freedom House”, the media in Albania are partially independent and provide some careful monitoring level of work for those who have public office, but most media owners, reportedly use their media platforms to lobby with the government and political parties. As far as local governance is concerned, it is seen as democratic, but seriously unfinanced and unqualified to provide adequate services to citizens.

The trial follows that the judiciary is under a continuous process of verifying the purity of its members by the end of 2024, resulting only partially. Since the beginning of the property process, expectations have increased, that the justice system will be more effective and more independent, but it is said that it has not yet provided concrete evidence that it is acting freely.

As far as corruption is concerned, the report reportedly continues to be widespread, causing malfunction in different branches of government. But the report estimates that the newly established law enforcement agencies have been showing encouraging results in the fight against corruption and organised crime since 2019.

Since 1995, the report of “Freedom House” for Countries in Transition has praised the state of democracy in 29 countries, stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia.

The organisation bases the assessment into seven categories, such as the election process, civil society, media independence, democratic governance at the national level, local governance, justice system and independence, as well as corruption. The assessment is made from 1 to 7 points, where 1 is the lowest level of democracy and 7 is estimated at its highest level.

How Albania's assessment has changed year-on-year

Democratic governance at the national level remains at the same levels as the previous two years, with 3.25 points (2020-2022), but yet this indicator has scored a reduction compared to the next five years, from 2015 to 2019, when calculated at 3.50 points.

In the civil society index, Albania is estimated to be the same figure as a year ago, 4.75 points ago, but this reflects a decline in proportion to the previous 8 years (2013-2020) when this indicator had maintained a constant 5-point mark.

His judicial system and independence, according to the report, has remained at the same levels since 2013, praising 3.25 points. So is corruption estimated at 2.75 points from 2013.

The democracy element for 2022 is estimated at 2021 levels, with 3.75 points, but still reflects a decline compared to a growth trend observed from 2014 to 2020.

The report said that the foundations of democracy in Albania were tested in 2021, the year the multiparty tenth parliamentary elections were held since the fall of communism.

The largest participation of public discussions, before and after elections, was filled with mutual accusations and divisive rhetoric by leaders of the main political parties and the president, which led to incidents of public intimidation, injuries and even deaths during electoral campaigns”.

The report later said that parliamentary elections were generally well managed. The Central Election Commission was able to provide new technology tools for identifying voters on election day, and new counting technologies were used at different polling stations. But, according to the report, the integrity of the elections was not completely intact, due to credible claims of vote buying, intimidation and violence.

The fact is cited in the report that the opposition Democratic Party created a unit called “Make Voting”, most likely illegal, but that shows the extent of public distrust of institutions.

“Freedom House” Named the president's position on the eve of parliamentary elections, stressing that “President Ilir Meta campaigned openly against the ruling Socialist Party and urged citizens to use violence if their vote was affected”.

Following these comments, the United States and the European Union called on the country's political leaders to refrain from “and “clearly reject violence”, the report further says.

In recent years and especially during 2021, factions within the Socialist Movement for Integration and the Democratic Party have added to their harsh rhetoric against The US and the EU, claiming they are interfering with the country's sovereignty and internal affairs.

According to the report, this rhetoric against the US and the EU relates to significant foreign and financial investment in new law enforcement bodies and in the process of verifying the justice system, which has created high expectations for investigation into abuse of power and corruption by current and former officials.

The report also addresses the issue of the flow of personal data of thousands of Albanian citizens during 2021. He cites the publication in April from the website of Laps.al, of an article on a sensitive personal database of 990,000 Albanian citizens, allegedly used by the Socialist Party, who were taken from a government portal offering public services (e-Abnia).

As noted in the report, the Socialist Party initially denied the existence of this database, but Prime Minister Rama later acknowledged that his party, since 2009, had held an internal database, collecting door-to-door information, under the so-called “system of wards”. “Freedom House” says no investigation was launched on this issue, or the way political parties provide it, or handle the personal data of citizens.

The report says violations in this direction and consequences show that Albania has not yet taken its personal data protection laws seriously.

The European Union, further the report, is funding a series of projects to support the construction of Albania's institutional capacities, especially in the areas of rule of law and anticorruption. But referring to a special report by the European Court of Auditors of January 2022, on EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans, Freedom House mentions his findings that “such support and financing have had little impact on advancing the fundamental reforms of the rule of law due to insufficient political will and lack of commitment”.

The report says that “EU support against corruption and rule of law, as well as public definitions of the US State Department, should be understood in a broader context, of international foreign policy goals towards the Western Balkans.

The wish is that in Albania they have “a partner, who adheres to democratic norms and not problem leaders, who produce artificial political crises for which the US and the EU are called to mediate”.

“Freedom House” says that if these international efforts against corruption and public definitions are taken more seriously by Albania, political parties, law enforcement agencies and the judicial system, they could serve as impetus for further domestic reforms.

But the report says encouraging political parties to take responsibility for reform within them, as well as to address charges of abuse of power and corruption within their ranks, has resulted in a very difficult thing.

Media according to “

The press independence is estimated at 3.5 points the same as in 2021, a decline compared to at least two years ago when the index was estimated at 3.75 points.

The year 2021 was challenging for journalists because of threats, harassment and terrible working conditions, says “Freedom House”.

According to the report, about eight people control most of the media market in Albania and use these platforms to lobby for their interests and maintain close ties with political parties.

They (media) also rely on blackmail, or discrediting persons, who speak against their own interests, or political parties, they support.

The content of the Albanian press continued to deteriorate in 2021, with an increase in the number of television emissions, mostly sharing unbased opinions on evidence, or verifiable facts, said this year's “Freedom House” report on Countries in Transition. / VOA