- A total of 26 political parties, including eight standalone and three coalitions, are competing for 140 seats in parliament under the proportional representation system.
- This will be Albania’s tenth parliamentary election since the fall of communism in 1991 and the first since the EU opened its first cluster of accession negotiations in October.
- The members of parliament are elected for a four-year term.
- At the previous parliamentary elections held in April 2021, PS, led by Rama, secured a third term by winning 74 seats. PS defeated the centre-right coalition led by the Democratic Party (PD) under Lulzim Basha, which won 59 seats.
- PD remains PS’s main rival in Sunday’s vote, running under the Alliance for a Great Albania (ASHM) coalition. The party is now led by its founder and former prime minister Sali Berisha, who returned to the helm after being expelled in 2021 following a rift with Basha. PD’s platform focuses on household support, including a housing and economic relief package, and tax cuts for families, farmers, and small businesses.
- Several new parties are contesting parliamentary elections for the first time, aiming to attract voters disillusioned with traditional parties. These include: Mundesia (The Opportunity), focusing on anti-corruption and pro-European policies; Shqiperia Behet (Albania Can Become), advocating systemic reforms, and Levizja Bashke (Together Movement) promoting progressive policies while opposing oligarchy.
- As many as 3,713,761 Albanian citizens, both inside and outside the country, have the right to vote. This is the first election in which Albanian citizens living abroad can vote by mail. About 246,000 diaspora voters have registered to vote.
- PS is expected to win between 43.5% and 47.5% of the vote, PD is forecast to come in second with 34% – 36%, while Mundesia is projected to debut with 6.5%, according to a survey conducted by Italian research centre Noto Sondaggi between April 14 and 28, cited by Albanian TV broadcaster News 24 last week.
Asked to name the country’s most urgent issue, 61% of respondents cited healthcare, followed by living costs at 44%.
According to another survey conducted by US research centre McLaughlin and Associates between April 16 and 30 and cited by TV broadcaster Top Channel, PS has 48.9% support versus 34.4% for PD. Mundesia is expected to get 5% of the vote.
Polling stations will open 0700 CET and close at 1900 CET on Sunday.
Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014.
The country joined NATO in 2009.