Legal System of Albania

Albania is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in southeastern europe, bordering the adriatic sea and ionian sea, between greece to the south and montenegro and kosovo to the north. The country achieved independence on 28 november 1912 (from the ottoman empire). The capital is Tirana (Tirane).

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022) Head of Government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013) Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly Administrative Divisions: 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane (Tirana), Vlore National Holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Albania is described as civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the “Code of Leke” is still present International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998 Amendment Process: proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman) Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Judicial Council with the consent of the president to serve single 9-year terms; Supreme Court chairman is elected for a single 3-year term by the court members; appointments of Constitutional Court judges are rotated among the president, Parliament, and Supreme Court from a list of pre-qualified candidates (each institution selects 3 judges), to serve single 9-year terms; candidates are pre-qualified by a randomly selected body of experienced judges and prosecutors; Constitutional Court chairman is elected by the court members for a single, renewable 3-year term Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; specialized courts: Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (responsible for corruption, organized crime, and crimes of high officials)

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

After declaring independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, Albania experienced a period of political upheaval that led to a short-lived monarchy, which ended in 1939 when Italy conquered the country. Germany then occupied Albania in 1943, and communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960) and then with China (until 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended communist rule and established a multiparty democracy.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Albania based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.