Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 11 May 2025 to elect the 140 members of Parliament. They resulted in a fourth consecutive victory for the ruling Socialist Party (PS) led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, which increased its majority in parliament, with a promise of attaining European Union membership for Albania by 2030.
The elections took place against a backdrop of scandals during the party's previous term, including the arrest of Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj, Kukës mayor Safet Gjici, the incinerator scandal, and the 5D Affair. Opposition leader and leader of the Democratic Party Sali Berisha accused PS of pressure, fraud and vote-buying following the elections. Other allegations included vote buying through financial incentives and public sector jobs, misuse of state resources, and a patronage system in which PS activists monitored voters near polling stations.
OSCE's observation mission had a mixed reaction, saying the elections were competitive and well-run but lacked a level playing field including self-censorship by journalists, and a confrontational and polarizing campaign, with the two main political parties using divisive language and attempting to unduly influence voters. The elections were marked by widespread misuse of public resources and institutional power by the ruling party PS, while numerous reports of pressure on public employees and other voters as well as cases of intimidation were of concern.
The elections also marked the first time that Albanian citizens living abroad were allowed to vote.
Background In the 2021 parliamentary elections, the Socialist Party (PS) won 74 of the 140 seats in the parliament, resulting in Edi Rama being re-elected as Prime Minister. The PD-AN alliance, which was led by the centre-right Democrats and added several smaller parties to its coalition in the 2021 election, increased their seat-share from 43 to 59 seats.
During the same period, President Ilir Meta faced widespread allegations of violating the constitution, particularly in his intervention in the electoral process and the overt partisan stance against the PS he adopted during the 2021 elections. In June 2021, the parliament initiated impeachment proceedings against Meta, accusing him of undermining the neutrality of the presidency. However, in February 2022, the constitutional court ruled that Meta's actions did not constitute a violation of the constitution.
Electoral system The electoral system of Albania is constructed upon the principles defined in the constitution and the electoral code. As a parliamentary republic, Albania implements a regional proportional representation method that allocates seats in the parliament according to the proportion of votes garnered by political parties in a multi-party system. The parliament is composed of 140 representatives with a term of four years. The constitution codifies substantial democratic principles, stipulating that voting rights are equal, free, and conducted through secret ballot. All citizens of Albania, upon reaching the age of 18 and having not been deprived of voting rights, are permitted to participate in elections. The electoral code also establishes comprehensive procedures for voter registration, ensuring that all eligible citizens can participate fully in the process. The allocation of representatives in the parliament is based on population size within 12 electoral districts, which correspond to the first-level administrative regions (counties) of Albania. The D'Hondt method is employed for seat distribution to parties, contingent upon an electoral threshold of 1%.
In the 2025 election, 46 seats were filled by politicians on closed lists and one-third of the politicians elected to the parliament needed to be women.
Allocation of seats by county #County2024 populationSeats1Berat140,9567 2Dibër107,1785 3Durrës226,86314 4Elbasan232,58014 5Fier240,37716 6Gjirokastër60,0134 7Korçë173,09110 18Kukës61,9983 9Lezhë99,3847 10Shkodër154,47911 11Tirana758,51337 112Vlorë146,68112
Election date According to the constitution, parliamentary elections in Albania are required to be conducted no later than 60 days after and no earlier than 30 days prior to the expiration of the parliament's mandate. On 11 October 2024, commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi of the (KQZ) recommended the period between 20 April and 11 May 2025, as the most appropriate timeframe for the upcoming parliamentary elections. On 11 November 2024, President Bajram Begaj procedurally initiated consultations to determine the election date for the elections, inviting representatives from the Coalition for Reforms, Integration, and Consolidated Institutions (KRIIK) to the .
Following on 19 November, Begaj held the first round of consultations with leaders of smaller opposition parties, who proposed 4 May as the most suitable election date. This suggestion was made in light of the anticipated European Political Community Summit in Tirana on 9 May, with leaders arguing that holding elections before the summit would prevent potential electoral manipulation. Begaj described the consultations as the beginning of a transparent and constructive electoral process. He emphasised that the decision regarding the election date should be based on the best interests of voters, following a balanced, open debate with input from a wide range of political and institutional actors. The Democratic Party declined to participate in consultations with Begaj. The Freedom Party accepted the invitation, with Tedi Blushi and Erisa Xhixho requesting that the President decree any election date permitted by the Electoral Code, except the one proposed by Taulant Balla of the Socialist Party. Basha refrained from proposing a specific date but emphasised that the primary focus should be on election standards rather than the date itself. On 25 November, Begaj concluded the consultation process and highlighted the importance of the process, stating that the discussions were guided by the best interests of the voters rather than narrow political calculations. Conclusively, on 5 December, Begaj announced that the 2025 elections would be scheduled for 11 May 2025.
Amendments On 26 July 2024, the parliament approved the amendments to the new electoral code, which included provisions for diaspora voting and the allocation of mandates. A significant focus centered on the formula employed for candidate lists, which was no longer entirely open; instead, one-third was designated as closed and subject to the discretion of the party leader, thereby exempting it from preferential voting. Furthermore, the new regulations stipulated that one out of every three candidates elected from the open list was required to be a woman, thereby reflecting a commitment to enhancing gender representation within the electoral framework.
On 7 December 2024, the KQZ approved the allocation of electoral mandates and the creation of 93 electoral administration zones (ZAZ) for the 2025 elections. Municipalities with over 80,000 voters were divided into multiple ZAZs. The KQZ also finalized the mandate distribution, with Tirana set to elect 37 deputies, while Korça's representation will decrease to 10 due to the loss of one mandate.
In preparation for the 2025 elections, the KQZ introduced the PER application to facilitate the registration and voting of Albanian emigrants abroad. This initiative aims to ensure diaspora participation in the electoral process, with registration scheduled from 11 January to 11 March. To register, emigrants must provide a valid passport and a document verifying their residential address. The PER app, available for download on both mobile devices and computers, will serve as the sole method for voting from abroad. Once registered, emigrants will be removed from the domestic voter list, and by 11 May, a separate list of overseas voters will be finalised.
Parliamentary parties
As of the electoral code, a parliamentary party is defined as a political organisation that has achieved representation in the parliament by obtaining a minimum of one seat in the most recent electoral contest. Subsequent to the 2021 parliamentary election, the PS obtained 74 of the 140 seats, emerging as the majority party. The PD–AN secured 59 seats, while LSI acquired 4 seats and the PSD attained 3 seats.
The table below lists the parties represented in the 31st Kuvendi that was elected in 2021.
Name Ideology Position Leader 2021 result Seats PS Social democracy Centre-left Edi Rama 48.68 PD–AN Liberal conservatism Centre-right Lulzim Basha 39.43 LSI Social democracy Social conservatism Centre-left Monika Kryemadhi 6.81 PSD Social democracy Centre-left Tom Doshi 2.25
Parties and coalitions According to the electoral code, each political party is mandated to submit a registration request to the CEC no later than 70 days prior to the scheduled election date. This request must comprehensively contain several critical components, including the identity of the party chair authorised to present candidates, the official name and acronym of the party, a specimen of the official stamp, and the contact information for both the finance officer and communication officer. Registered political parties have the option to form coalitions, which must also be registered with the KQZ at least 60 days before the election. A political party that is part of a coalition is restricted from engaging in another coalition or presenting candidates independently. The coalition is required to designate a leading party, which assumes the responsibility for fulfilling the legal obligations formed in the electoral code, and to document inter-party relations in a formal coalition agreement submitted to the KQZ. It is essential that both political parties and coalitions submit a multi-name list of candidates for the parliament election no later than 50 days prior to the election.
In June 2024, Lulzim Basha, the former leader of the Democratic Party, established a new faction titled, the Democratic Party–Euroatlantic Democrats, following internal conflicts regarding the ownership of the party's official seal. By November 2024, Basha revealed that he was engaged in advanced discussions with Endri Shabani of to explore potential electoral cooperation. However, Shabani publicly rejected the possibility of such an alliance, asserting that a cooperation with Basha or his faction was "zero".
On 24 September 2024, representatives of the Democratic Party initiated consultations with allies for the upcoming elections, with Ilir Meta of the Freedom Party being the first to meet. Meta did not take a clear stance on whether to run on a joint electoral list or separately, but expressed a preference for using his own party's logo. On 14 November 2024, the party's leader Sali Berisha, who was placed under house arrest since December 2023, addressed concerns about Meta's involvement in the electoral list for the elections, despite Meta's imprisonment in October 2024. Berisha underscored that Meta, who is according to him incarcerated without a clear charge, would be included in the electoral list if his party joined the coalition.
By the time of the election, the CEC had registered 53 political parties and 11 coalitions. In order to be in the ballot, parties either needed to have a certain number of MPs in the current parliament or have 5,000 signatures, while coalitions either needed to have a certain number of MPs in the current parliament or have 7,000 signatures.
The table below lists the parties which have registered in CEC for the next election and have qualified for ballot access.