Background and political system
With a population over 2.7 million people, Albania is located in Southeastern Europe along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, bordering Greece, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.* Albania’s first multiparty elections were held in 1991, following the country’s transition from communism to democracy.
The Constitution of Albania, adopted in 1998 and subsequently amended, provides the framework for the country's political institutions and governance. Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, divided into 12 counties and 61 municipalities, and governs via central and local government structures.
Albania’s government consists of the Executive and Legislative branches, complemented by the Judicial branch. The central government is led by the President of the Republic, who is elected by the legislative Assembly and acts as Head of State. The Prime Minister is both Head of Government and leader of the Executive branch, and is appointed by the President. The executive branch’s Council of Ministers consists of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and ministers appointed by the President, based on nominations from the Prime Minister. The Assembly, called the Kuvendi, is formed by members elected directly by the public and serves in a unicameral parliament. The judicial branch hosts the Albanian Supreme Court of 19 judges, and the Constitutional Court of nine judges, in addition to subordinate courts.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment
Women’s right to vote and to stand for election was first ensured in the country in 1920 in Albania’s first bicameral parliamentary system, while the first women in parliament, Naxhije Dume, Liri Gega and Ollga Plumbi, were elected in 1945 in the country’s first elections following World War II.
Traditional patriarchal values and gender stereotypes have persisted in the Albanian society, both beneath the surface of the communist era despite formal gender equality, and following the country’s democratic transition, creating barriers to practical socioeconomic and political equality and participation.
Considerable strides have been made in recent years. According to UN Women, 91.7 percent of the legal frameworks that promote, enforce, and monitor gender equality under SDG 5, gender equality, with a focus on violence against women, are in place. However, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, Albania ranks 23rd out of 146 countries, down from its 2023 ranking of 17th and its 2022 ranking of 18th. There are still challenges in the areas of social power and economic power, as traditional norms still place the majority of the triple care burden on women, presenting challenges to sharing domestic work equally and to pursuing meaningful, equally compensated employment outside the home.
Structure of parliament
The Parliament is composed of 140 deputies elected in multi-seat constituencies to four-year terms, through a proportional representation system. The Parliament is responsible for enforcing legislative initiatives, approving the Cabinet, and supervising the work of the Government.
The electoral code adopted in 2008, as amended through 2024, establishes that for each electoral zone, at least 30 percent of candidates (one in every three names) shall belong to each gender.
Women's representation in parliament
As of July 2024, the Albanian Parliament has 47 women members, representing 33.6 percent of total deputies. The current Speaker, Lindita Nikolla, and the youngest member of Parliament, Andia Ulliri, are women. The next elections will be held in 2026.
Forecast based on past trends
If changes continue at the current pace, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the average rate of improvement from 1995 to 2023 and projecting it into the future.
Forecast based on recent trends
If changes registered in the past five years continue, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the average rate of change in the past five years and projecting it into the future.
Best case forecast
If the situation improves similarly to the country performing best in the region, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the rate of improvement from the country performing best in the region and accelerating the change with this amount over five years and then keeping it constant.
Worst case forecast
If the situation deteriorates similarly to the country registering the worst drop in the region, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the drop rate in the country performing worst in the region and deteriorating the situation with this amount over five years and then keeping it constant.
Women Chairpersons of Parliament Committees
The Albanian Parliament has eight specialized Committees on the topics of Legal Issues, Public Administration and Human Rights; Work, Social Issues and Health; Productive Activity, Trade and Environment; Foreign Policy; National Security; European Integration; Education and Means of Public Information; and Economy and Finance.
As of July 2024, women are the chairpersons of the Foreign Policy Committee (Mimi Kodheli), the European Integration Committee (Jorida Tabaku), the Committee on Labour, Social Affairs and Health (Zheni Gjergji), the Committee on Legal Affairs, Public Administration and Human Rights (Klotilda Bushka), and the Education and Means of Public Information Committee (Zhupa Ina).
Structure of government
Central government
The Albanian President is responsible for the observation of all laws and the Constitution, and acts as Commander in Chief, exercising the duties of the Parliamentary Assembly when the assembly is not in session, and appointing the Prime Minister.
The Cabinet is composed of 18 members, who take on the positions of Ministers within the Albanian Government. Within the executive branch, the Council of Ministers, led by the Prime Minister, constitutes the Government of Albania and is responsible for carrying out foreign and domestic policies, and overseeing the activities of ministries and other national bodies. The Council of Ministers is held accountable by the Parliament, which is responsible, among other functions, for approving legislation proposed by Cabinet members.
The current Prime Minister of Albania is Edi Rama, who has been in power since 2013, while the current President is Bajram Begaj, who was elected in 2022. Following the most recent elections in 2021, Albania’s parliament voted to confirm the first women-dominated Cabinet, with 12 out of 17 members of the Cabinet being women. Albania has not yet had a woman serve as Prime Minister or President. As of July 2024, there are 10 women ministers: Belinda Balluku (Minister of Infrastructure and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister); Albana Kociu (Minister of Health and Social Welfare); Delina Ibrahimaj (Minister of State for Entrepreneurship Protection); Anila Denaj (Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development); Ogerta Manastirliu (Minister of Education and Sports); Elisa Spiropali (Minister of State for Parliament Relations); Majlinda Dhuka (Minister of State and Chief Negotiator); Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi (Minister of Tourism and Environment); Bora Muzhaqi (Minister of State for Youth and Children); and Adea Pirdeni (Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption).
Ministers or Cabinet Members
Belinda Balluku
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy
Albana Kociu
Minister of Health and Social Welfare
Ogerta Manastirliu
Minister of Education and Sports
Adea Pirdeni
Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption
Anila Denaj
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Delina Ibrahimaj
Minister of State for Entrepreneurship Protection
Elisa Spiropali
Minister of State for Parliament Relations
Majlinda Dhuka
Minister of State and Chief Negotiator
Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi
Minister of Tourism and Environment
Bora Muzhaqi
Minister of State for Youth and Children
Local government
At the local level, counties (gark) and municipalities (bashki) operate as upper and lower tiers, respectively, that hold political, administrative, and financial authority over local matters. At both tiers, local governments are comprised of deliberative bodies, or councils, and executive bodies. Local deliberative bodies are made up of elected officials, the number of which is proportional to the population they represent. The head of each county and municipality is elected by the council itself. The gender quota also extends to local government representation, with the condition that, for each municipal council, one in every two consecutive names in ranking shall belong to the same gender. The municipal council must elect its own representatives to the regional council, of whom not less than 50 percent shall belong to the underrepresented gender. Local executive bodies consist of the county board at the county level, and the Mayor at the municipal level, assisted by appointed Vice-Mayors.
For more information on gender quotas adopted at the national level, visit the women in parliament section.
Structure of public administration
Overseen by the Ministry of the Interior, the central government’s roles and responsibilities include conducting any State function not attributed to another authority; developing guidelines of the general State policy; handling security and defense; implementing legislation and policies; overseeing citizenship; declaring a state of emergency; managing civil service, and territorial division.
Local government bodies are largely responsible for Albania’s public administration when it comes to local matters of politics, administration, and finance. Within each local jurisdiction, local government is in charge of managing an independent budget and oversight and administration of economic activity – including local taxation – in compliance with national law, working on initiatives to serve local issues, and issuing localized directive, decisions, and orders to ensure organization and function at all local levels.
Women’s representation as employees and decision-makers in public administration
This visualization was developed based on data provided by GIRL@University of Pittsburgh.
Data across countries and territories is not comparable. For more information about the methodology and sources used, read here.
In Albania’s public administration, women’s representation at the employee level has increased, measuring 56.7 percent in 2022, compared to 52.4 percent in 2013, reaching a peak of 58.3 percent in 2020. Interestingly, women’s representation in decision-making has fluctuated significantly. In 2018, women’s representation peaked at 55 percent, but suddenly dipped to 44.8 percent in 2019. By 2023, women represent a notable 53.8 percent of decision-makers in public administration.