Albanian parliamentary election, 1991
Encyclopedia
Constitutional Assembly elections were held in the People's Socialist Republic of Albania
on 31 March 1991, with later rounds on 7 April and 14 April. They were the first elections held after the formation of new political parties was legalised on 11 December 1990 following a strike by 700 students at the University of Tirana
over poor dormitory conditions and a power failure, which subsequently became politicised under the influence of Sali Berisha
. The result was a victory for the ruling Party of Labour of Albania, which won 169 of the 250 seats. Voter turnout was reported to be 98.6%.
and other anti-communist opposition parties to influence the rural countryside and its peasantry, who feared that the Democratic Party would privatize land holdings and restore them to pre-war
landowners, which the ruling party emphasized as it focused its efforts on rural voters. The PLA and its associated mass organizations (such as the Democratic Front
) produced a platform which rested upon stated commitments to preventing the country's slide into "chaos" along with promises of promoting the growth of a regulated market economy, support for political pluralism, and support for European integration
. The Democratic Party platform promised the transformation of living standards through membership in the European Community, strong ties with the United States
and other Western nations, Gastarbeiter
jobs in Italian
and German
factories abroad, and immediate steps towards a free-market economy.
The United States
noticeably supported the Democratic Party, which the ruling PLA criticized to its own advantage. Democratic Party politician and Berisha aide Gramoz Pashko
was quoted in mid-March after having visited the United States that his party would receive a "blank check" from the American Government upon coming to power, which would have entailed admission to such organizations as the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank
. "David Swartz, the head of the State Department delegation sent to reopen the U.S. embassy in Tiranë
, said that the United States would provide Albania with desperately needed humanitarian assistance but that economic aid would be granted only if democratic forces came to power." The National Endowment for Democracy
gave around $103,000 to the dissident labor movement backing the Democratic Party along with activities aimed to allegedly "support training and civic education programs."
Since the start of the campaign Democratic Party leaders claimed to international observers that the elections would neither be free nor fair, and later stated that the elections had been conducted amid a "climate of fear." International observers, however, generally regarded the election as fair and that fraud and manipulation were minimal despite the substantial advantages enjoyed by the PLA. Over 1,000 candidates from 11 parties or political movements, as well as a score of independents, contested the 250 parliamentary seats.
Note that the data is inconsistent and there is a difference of 75,485 between the parties' total and the number of valid votes.
, with the new post of President coming into existence a day later and held by Ramiz Alia
, who resigned from his post as First Secretary of the PLA on the same day. On 12 June 1991 the PLA was reformed into the Socialist Party of Albania
.
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
The People's Republic of Albania was the official name of Albania during the communist rule between 1946 and 1976. The 1976 Constitution changed the name into People's Socialist Republic of Albania , which was the official name of the country from 1976 until 1991.-Consolidation of power and...
on 31 March 1991, with later rounds on 7 April and 14 April. They were the first elections held after the formation of new political parties was legalised on 11 December 1990 following a strike by 700 students at the University of Tirana
University of Tirana
The University of Tirana is a public university located in Tirana, Albania.-History:UT was founded in 1957 as the State University of Tirana through the merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947...
over poor dormitory conditions and a power failure, which subsequently became politicised under the influence of Sali Berisha
Sali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania ....
. The result was a victory for the ruling Party of Labour of Albania, which won 169 of the 250 seats. Voter turnout was reported to be 98.6%.
Background
The elections were held in an atmosphere of economic disruption and social instability. The ruling Party of Labour of Albania had various advantages while campaigning, such as control or influence over most media and a far larger pool of resources than its nascent opposition. There was also little opportunity for the urban-based Democratic Party of AlbaniaDemocratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania is a center-right, Conservative, political party in Albania and the leading party in the governing coalition since the 2005 parliamentary elections...
and other anti-communist opposition parties to influence the rural countryside and its peasantry, who feared that the Democratic Party would privatize land holdings and restore them to pre-war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
landowners, which the ruling party emphasized as it focused its efforts on rural voters. The PLA and its associated mass organizations (such as the Democratic Front
Democratic Front (Albania)
The Democratic Front was an Albanian political mass organization formed on August 5, 1945 to succeed the National Liberation Front as the leading political movement for recently liberated Albania under the leadership of Enver Hoxha. It was administered by the Party of Labour of Albania...
) produced a platform which rested upon stated commitments to preventing the country's slide into "chaos" along with promises of promoting the growth of a regulated market economy, support for political pluralism, and support for European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
. The Democratic Party platform promised the transformation of living standards through membership in the European Community, strong ties with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and other Western nations, Gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter is German for "guest worker." It refers to migrant workers who had moved to West Germany mainly in the 1960s and 70s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme...
jobs in Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
factories abroad, and immediate steps towards a free-market economy.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
noticeably supported the Democratic Party, which the ruling PLA criticized to its own advantage. Democratic Party politician and Berisha aide Gramoz Pashko
Gramoz Pashko
Gramoz Pashko was an Albanian economist. He cofounded the Democratic Party of Albania in 1990. Dr. Pashko served lately as the rector of the University of New York, Tirana. He was married to Mimoza Ruli....
was quoted in mid-March after having visited the United States that his party would receive a "blank check" from the American Government upon coming to power, which would have entailed admission to such organizations as the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
. "David Swartz, the head of the State Department delegation sent to reopen the U.S. embassy in Tiranë
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, said that the United States would provide Albania with desperately needed humanitarian assistance but that economic aid would be granted only if democratic forces came to power." The National Endowment for Democracy
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote US-friendly democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress...
gave around $103,000 to the dissident labor movement backing the Democratic Party along with activities aimed to allegedly "support training and civic education programs."
Since the start of the campaign Democratic Party leaders claimed to international observers that the elections would neither be free nor fair, and later stated that the elections had been conducted amid a "climate of fear." International observers, however, generally regarded the election as fair and that fraud and manipulation were minimal despite the substantial advantages enjoyed by the PLA. Over 1,000 candidates from 11 parties or political movements, as well as a score of independents, contested the 250 parliamentary seats.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party of Labour of Albania | 1,046,120 | 56.2 | 169 |
| Democratic Party of Albania Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania is a center-right, Conservative, political party in Albania and the leading party in the governing coalition since the 2005 parliamentary elections... |
720,948 | 38.7 | 75 |
| Democratic Union of the Green Minority | 13,538 | 0.7 | 5 |
| National Veteran's Committee | 5,241 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 88,484 | – | – |
| Total | 1,949,516 | 100 | 250 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||
Note that the data is inconsistent and there is a difference of 75,485 between the parties' total and the number of valid votes.
Aftermath
The new People's Assembly was convened on 10 April. On 29 April a new constitution came into effect proclaiming the modern-day Republic of AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, with the new post of President coming into existence a day later and held by Ramiz Alia
Ramiz Alia
was the second and last communist leader of Albania from 1985-91, and the President of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1991 to 1992, and also the first President of the post communist Albania elected in 1991-92. He had been designated as successor by Enver Hoxha and took power after...
, who resigned from his post as First Secretary of the PLA on the same day. On 12 June 1991 the PLA was reformed into the Socialist Party of Albania
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania , is a centre-left, social democraticand socially liberal political party in Albania, it is currently the leading opposition party in Albania. It seats 66 MPs in the 2009 Albanian parliament . It achieved power in 1997 after a political crisis and governmental...
.