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The decline of democracy in Albania, the alarm from the European Parliament

Politiko 2025-06-12 17:03:38

The decline of democracy in Albania, the alarm from the European Parliament

By Klevis Balliu

The European Parliament's latest report on Albania presents a bleak picture of the democratic reality in the country. With an in-depth analysis and clear tones of concern, the report testifies to a systematic degradation of the fundamental principles on which a democratic state is built: free elections, independent justice and a free media.

The parliamentary elections of May 11, 2025, instead of confirming institutional legitimacy, marked a regression.

 The European Parliament underlines the massive use of state resources by the governing majority, the involvement of organized crime structures in the electoral process, and the exercise of pressure on voters – all of this, in clear contradiction to European standards for fair elections.

In the field of media, the report raises the alarm about the concentration of ownership, lack of transparency and political pressure on journalists.

This has had serious consequences for freedom of expression and the public's right to reliable and independent information. Journalists who report on corruption or state abuses face threats, personal attacks and smear campaigns.

The European Parliament also expresses deep concern about the executive's interference in the justice system and the pressure on new institutions such as SPAK. These interferences undermine the separation of powers and weaken the foundations on which a functional and credible justice system rests.

In such a climate, where power is disproportionately concentrated in the hands of a few and institutional control mechanisms have weakened or paralyzed, the opposition has long raised the alarm about the transformation of the political regime into an authoritarian model. A model that produces wealth for the few and poverty for the many.

The European Parliament report is not a technical warning, but a strong political and moral call: democracy in Albania is in danger. If the country truly aspires to membership in the European Union, then it must restore without delay the basic standards of a state governed by the rule of law: fair elections, independent institutions and unconditional freedom of expression.

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