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GovernmentCountry name
Conventional long form Republic of Albania
Conventional short form Albania Local long form Republika e Shqiperise Local short form Shqiperia Former People's Socialist Republic of Albania Government type
Parliamentary democracy
Capital
Name Tirana (Tirane)
Geographic coordinates 41 19 N, 19 49 E Time difference UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Daylight saving time +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions
37 municipalities (komunat/opstine, singular - komuna/opstina); Decan/Decani, Dragash/Dragas, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje, Gjakove/Dakovica, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Gllogovc/Glogovac, Gracanice/Gracanica, Hani i Elezit/Deneral Jankovic, Istog/Istok, Junik, Kacanik/Kacanik, Kamenice/Kamenica, Kline/Klina, Kllokot/Klokot, Leposaviq/Leposavic, Lipjan/Lipljan, Malisheve/Malisevo, Mamushe/Mamusa, Mitrovice/Mitrovica, Novoberde/Novo Brdo, Obiliq/Obilic, Partesh/Partes, Peje/Pec, Podujeve/Podujevo, Prishtine/Pristina, Prizren, Rahovec/Orahovac, Ranillug/Ranilug, Shterpce/Strpce, Shtime/Stimlje, Skenderaj/Srbica, Suhareke/Suva Reka, Viti/Vitina, Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Zubin Potok, Zvecan/Zvecan Independence
28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire) National holiday
Independence Day, 28 November (1912) also known as Flag Day Constitution
Approved by parliament 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998 Legal system
Civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" prevails International law organization participation
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state
President of the Republic Bujar NISHANI (since 24 July 2012) Head of government Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005) Cabinet Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament Elections President elected by three-fifths the Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); four election rounds held between 30 May and 11 June 2012 (next election to be held in 2017); prime minister appointed by the president Election results Bujar NISHANI elected president on fourth round of voting; Assembly vote (for first three rounds three-fifths majority, 84 votes, required; fourth round, a simple majority of votes is required): Bujar NISHANI 73 votes; note - NISHANI will take office 24 July 2012 Legislative branch
Unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 deputies; 100 deputies elected directly in single member electoral zones with an approximate number of voters; 40 deputies elected from multi-name lists of parties or party coalitions according to their respective order; elected for a 4-year term) Elections Last held on 28 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013) Election results Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 68, PS 65, LSI 4, other 3 Judicial branch
Constitutional Court consists of 9 members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly who serve 9-year terms (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term); the High Court members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly for a 9-year term; note - there are also courts of appeal and courts of first instance Political parties and leaders
Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; New Democracy Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party for Justice and Integration or PDI [Shpetim IDRIZ]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskel MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE] Political pressure groups and leaders
Red and Black Alliance [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Elton KACIDHJA]; Omonia [Vasil BOLLANO]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA] International organization participation
BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the us
Chief of mission Ambassador Gilbert GALANXHI
Chancery S1312 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 Telephone [1] (202) 223-4942FAX [1] (202) 628-7342 Consulate(s) general New York Diplomatic representation from the us
Chief of mission Ambassador Alexander ARVIZU
Embassy Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana Mailing address US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510 Telephone [355] (4) 2247285FAX [355] (4) 2232222 Flag description
Red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Castriota SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shkypetars," which translates as "sons of the eagle" National symbol(s)
Double-headed eagle
National anthem
Name
"Hymni i Flamurit" (Hymn to the Flag) Lyrics/music Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU Note Adopted 1912
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Albania (Tirana):
 
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Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, there have been claims of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-communist elections. The 2009 general elections resulted in no single party gaining a majority of the 140 seats in Parliament, and the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) and the Democratic Party (DP) combined to form a coalition government, the first such in Albania's history. The Socialist Party (SP) contested the results of the 2009 parliamentary elections and the 2011 local elections. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.