How Democracy in Albania provides investor sicurity

Democratic Politics

The Albanian republic is a parliamentary democracy established under a constitution renewed in 1998. Elections are now held every four years to a unicameral 140-seat chamber, the People’s Assembly. There have been five national elections since the peaceful overthrow of the post-war communist regime in 1991.

The executive branch, following the European model, is led by a President, elected to five-year-terms by the People’s Assembly, and a head of government, the Prime Minister. The prime minister proposes a Council of Ministers who are then nominated by the president and approved by the Assembly.

The judicial branch consists of a Constitutional Court and a Supreme Court whose chairman is elected by the People’s Assembly to a 4-year term. There are many district courts and courts of appeals; beside this Albanian citizens are subject to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

Albania is divided into 12 administrative divisions called qarke (counties). Each region has its Regional Council and is composed of a number of Municipalities and Communes, which are the first level of local governance responsible for local needs and law enforcement.

The most recent parliamentary elections in July 2005 saw the return of the Democratic Party under Prime Minister Sali Berisha. The government is pro-business and pursues policies that are accelerating the opening up of the country to foreign investment.

All of the country’s leading parties are basically pro-western in outlook, a world view shared by the vast majority of the country’s population, most of whom speak either Italian or Greek in addition to their native tongue. Our outward-looking mentality is characterised by the large numbers of Albanians currently working abroad, all of whom maintain ties with their homeland. In fact almost every Albanian has a relative or knows someone working overseas, usually in Greece or Italy. Increasingly, as these Albanians return home, they bring with them an increased desire to integrate Albania with the rest of the world and to share the common values of other European states.

Albania has three official religions — Muslim, Christian Orthodox and Roman Catholic — which successfully co-exist together. The majority of the population are Muslim

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