2009 Albanian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 28 June 2009. No alliance achieved 71 deputies on its own needed to form a parliamentary majority. A coalition government was formed by the Democratic Party and Socialist Movement for Integration.

2009 Albanian parliamentary election
28 June 2009
All 140 seats in the Parliament of Albania
71 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader % Seats ±
Alliance for Change (70 seats)
Democratic Sali Berisha 40.18 68 +12
Republican Fatmir Mediu 2.11 1 -10
PDI Tahir Muhedini 0.95 1 +1
Unification for Change (66 seats)
Socialist Edi Rama 40.85 65 +23
PBDNJ Vangjel Dule 1.19 1 -1
Socialist Alliance for Integration (4 seats)
LSI Ilir Meta 4.85 4 -1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Prime Minister before Elected Prime Minister
Sali Berisha
Democratic		 Sali Berisha
Democratic
Albania
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Electoral System

The 140 members of Parliament were elected in twelve multi-member constituencies analogous to the country's twelve counties. Within the constituencies, seats are elected by closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of 3% for parties and 5% for alliances.[1]

Seats are allocated to alliances using the d'Hondt system, then to political parties using the Sainte-Laguë method.[2]

Background

Prior to the election, the electoral law was changed to a regional and proportional system.[3][4] Polls from March and April 2009 saw a very close race, with both the governing Democratic Party of Albania and the opposition Socialist Party of Albania around 37%, with minor parties like the Socialist Movement for Integration, the G99 Movement, the Unity for Human Rights Party and the Republican Party of Albania in the low single digits.[5]

Shortly before the election, the ethnic Greek Unity for Human Rights Party switched their allegiance, abandoning their alliance with the Democratic Party of Albania to join the Socialist Party of Albania.[6] The Party for Justice and Integration, a party representing the interest of ethnic Albanians whose properties in Greece were seized after WW2, joined the coalition Alliance of Change.

Alliances

This election saw a total of 33 parties organized in four alliances, one party running on its own and one independent candidate.[7]

  • Alliance of Change (Aleance e Ndryshimit), was a center-right coalition made up from 16 parties and led by Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
  • Union for Change (Bashkimi për Ndryshim), was a coalition made up from 5 center-left and left winged Parties, led by that-time Mayor of Tirana Edi Rama.
  • Socialist Alliance for Integration (Alenaca Socialiste për Integrim), was a coalition made up from 6 center-left and liberal parties, led by former Prime Minister Ilir Meta.
  • Pole of Freedom (Poli i Lirisë), was a conservative coalition made up from 6 right winged parties, led by former Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi.

Results

National level

Summary of the 28 June 2009 Assembly of the Republic of Albania election results

 
Coalition Party Votes % Seats
Alliance for Change
Democratic Party (Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë) PD 610463 40.18 68
Republican Party (Partia Republikane e Shqipërisë) PR 31990 2.11 1
Party for Justice and Integration (Partia për Drejtësi dhe Integrim) PDI 14477 0.95 1
Environmentalist Agrarian Party (Partia Agrare Ambientaliste) PAA 13296 0.88 0
Legality Movement Party (Partia Lëvizja e Legalitetit) PLL 10711 0.71 0
Christian Democratic League (Lidhja Demokristiane) LDK 6095 0.4 0
National Front Party (Partia Balli Kombëtare) PBK 5112 0.34 0
Liberal Democratic Union (Bashkimi Liberal Demokrat) BLD 5008 0.33 0
Democratic Alliance Party (Partia Aleanca Demokratike) AD 4682 0.31 0
Democratic National Front Party (Partia Balli Kombëtar Demokrat) PBKD 4177 0.27 0
Party of New Albanian European democracy (Partia Demokracia e Re Europiane Shqiptare) PDRESh 2111 0.14 0
New Party of Denied Rights (Partia e të Drejtave të Mohuara e Re) PDMR 1408 0.09 0
Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (Aleanca e Maqedonasve për Integrim Evropian) AMIE 1043 0.07 0
Alliance for Democracy and Solidarity (Aleanca për Demokraci dhe Solidaritet) ADS 1067 0.07 0
Ora of Albania (Ora e Shqipërisë) POSh 786 0.05 0
Forca Albania (Partia Forca Albania) PFA 319 0.02 0
Total 712745 46.92 70
Unification for Change
Socialist Party (Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë) PS 620586 40.85 65
Social Democratic Party (Partia Socialdemokrate e Shqipërisë) PSD 26700 1.76 0
Unity for Human Rights Party (Partia Bashkimi për të Drejtat e Njeriut) PBDNJ 18078 1.19 1
G99 (Grupim 99) G99 12989 0.86 0
Social Democracy Party of Albania (Partia Demokracia Sociale e Shqipërisë) PDS 10365 0.68 0
Total 688748 45.34 66
Socialist Alliance for Integration
Socialist Movement for Integration (Lëvizja Socialiste për Integrim) LSI 73678 4.85 4
Real Socialist Party '91 (Partia Socialiste e Vërtetë '91) PSV '91 6548 0.43 0
Movement of Human Rights and Freedoms (Lëvizja për të Drejtat dhe Liritë e Njeriut) LDLNj 2931 0.19 0
Green Party (Partia e Gjelbër) PGj 437 0.03 0
Party for the Protection of Immigrants' Rights (Parti për Mbrojtjen e të Drejtave të Emigrantëve) PMDE 376 0.02 0
New Tolerance Party (Partia Tolerancë e Re e Shqipërisë) PTR 437 0.03 0
Total 84407 5.56 4
Pole of freedom
Demochristian Party of Albania (Partia Demokristiane e Shqipërisë) PDK 13308 0.88 0
Movement for National Development (Lëvizja për Zhvillim Kombëtar) LZhK 10753 0.71 0
Democratic Union Party (Partia Bashkimi Demokrat Shqipëtar) PBD 1030 0.07 0
Conservative Party (Partia Konservatore) PKONS 1047 0.07 0
Democratic Reform Party (Partia e Reformave Demokratike Shqiptare) PRDSh 495 0.03 0
Path of Freedoms Party (Partia Rruga e Lirisë) PRrL 1002 0.07 0
Total 27655 1.82 0
Law and Justice Party (Partia Ligj dhe Drejtësi) PLiDr 4865 0.32 0
Independent 756 0.05 0
Total (turnout: 50.77%) 1,519,176 100.00 140
Source: CEC

Regional level

The electorate was split in twelve regions, in a regional proportional system, each of which elected a specific number of Members of Parliament (deputet). The following table details the regional results going from North to South.

Regions Alliance of Changes Unification of Changes Socialist Alliance for Integration Pole of Freedom Total seats
% Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats
Shkodër 58.11 7 35.18 4 2.9 0 3.45 0 11
Kukes 65.00 3 31.31 1 2.97 0 0.67 0 4
Lezhe 54.32 4 34.47 3 5.61 0 3.37 0 7
Diber 57.72 4 32.38 2 5.72 0 4.08 0 6
Durrës 51.65 7 39.22 5 8.02 1 0.85 0 13
Tirane 46.83 16 45.69 15 5.24 1 1.82 0 32
Elbasan 45.06 7 47.77 7 5.04 0 1.94 0 14
Fier 39.98 6 51.83 9 6.47 1 1.55 0 16
Berat 33.16 3 54.62 4 11.35 1 0.68 0 8
Korce 46.96 6 47.82 6 4.21 0 0.59 0 12
Vlore 37.46 5 54.89 7 5.01 0 2.45 0 12
Gjirokastër 40.10 2 55.9 3 3.27 0 0.59 0 5
Total 46.92 70 45.34 66 5.56 4 1.82 0 140

Aftermath

Initially the PD led coalition interred into discussions about dividing up the various cabinet posts.[8]

While it was still unclear whether the PD-led alliance held 70 or 71 seats, the leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) announced on 4 July 2009 that he had accepted Berisha's invitation to form a government with the PD and stated he wanted to be a stabilising factor in Albania's path towards European Union membership.[9] With the addition of the four seats from LSI, the coalition had the necessary majority to form a government.[9] Nonetheless, in November 2010, the EU in its "Key findings of the Opinion on Albania" found that the political stalemate since the June 2009 elections was a significant barrier to Albania's candidacy for European Union membership.[10]

References
  1. Election Profile IFES
  2. Electoral system IPU
  3. Albania Sets June 28 Election Date, Looks To EU. Javno. January 14, 2009
  4. Albania’s Elections and the Challenge of Democratic Transition: June 4, 2009: Briefing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
  5. Albanian Democrats, Socialists in Close Battle Archived 2009-05-17 at the Wayback Machine. Angus Reid Global Monitor. May 15, 2009
  6. Albania's labor minister resigns as party jumps boat. People's Daily. May 15, 2009
  7. Four coalitions to run in Albania's June general elections. Southeast European Times. May 17, 2009
  8. "Albania's DP-led coalition starts talks on new government" SETimes.com 21 August 2009, as archived 10 June 2011
  9. Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) (4 July 2009) "Confusion over Albanian polls over, coalition talks begin - Summary" EarthTimes
  10. European Commission (9 November 2010) "Key findings of the Opinion on Albania" MEMO/10/553
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