Who Holds Power in Albania as Protests Grow
ALBANIA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- Who governs Prime Minister Edi Rama’s ruling Socialist Party holds 83 of 140 seats and rules alone.
- The opposition Ex-prime minister Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party alliance, the main opposition, holds 50 seats.
- The unrest Student-led protests against Rama’s government have run since 13 October 2026.
- The toll The interior minister said on 30 October that 347 people had been hurt, 200 of them police officers.
- Prediction markets Traders on Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, price Rama leaving office in 2026 at 10.5% (2 November 2026, 12:34 a.m. ET).
- Still open No election date is set, and the EU’s yearly report on candidate countries is due on 4 November.
Albania, a NATO member on the Adriatic, faces its biggest street unrest in years, centred on the capital, Tirana. Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to resign, and his Socialist Party still controls parliament.
This guide explains who holds power, who is challenging it and why it matters to US readers. It is part of our Europe politics hub, which tracks who governs across the continent.
Who Holds Power in Albania
Albania is a parliamentary republic. The prime minister runs the government, and the president, chosen by parliament, is head of state.
Rama’s Socialist Party, the post-communist party that has led the country since 2013, won the 11 May 2025 election with 83 of 140 seats and 53.27% of the vote. It governs without coalition partners.
President Bajram Begaj appointed Rama’s fourth cabinet on 12 September 2025. Parliament backed it in a confidence vote days later.
Albana Koçiu has been deputy prime minister since a reshuffle on 26 February 2026. Ervin Demo is interior minister, and Skënder Hita is director general of the State Police, the national force.
Parliament has 140 members with four-year terms. The Democratic Party alliance holds 50 seats, and four smaller parties share the remaining seven.
The Opposition and the Courts
Sali Berisha, a former prime minister and president, leads the Democratic Party, the main opposition. His alliance won 32.93% of the vote in 2025.
The OSCE, a European security and rights body, found the vote competitive and professionally run. It also reported misuse of public resources and pressure on voters, and said contestants did not enjoy a level playing field.
SPAK, Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecution, brought a passive-corruption case against Berisha over the privatisation of a Tirana sports complex, and a trial opened in July 2025. He is presumed innocent, and we could not confirm the latest court stage.
Belinda Balluku, a former deputy prime minister, was suspended on 20 November 2025 by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime. The case concerns alleged rigged tenders for the Llogara Tunnel, a road project in southern Albania, and she is presumed innocent.
Rama dismissed her on 26 February 2026, and the Special Court rejected her bid to void the suspension on 13 March. She has appealed to the Supreme Court.
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The Protests Testing Rama
Democratic Party-led protests began on 17 November 2025. Opposition lawmakers set off flares inside parliament on 18 December 2025.
A second movement, the Flamingo Revolution, began on 23 May 2026 near Zvërnec village and Narta lagoon, close to the southern city of Vlorë. It targets a luxury resort project linked to the investment firm of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump.
Student-led protests turned violent from 13 October 2026, and Rama has refused to resign. He blamed unnamed foreign interests without offering evidence.
By 17 October police said they had arrested 167 people, and 132 officers had been hurt. Police used water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets, and seven officers were suspended over alleged abuse.
On 30 October Demo put the total at 347 injured: 200 police officers, 107 protesters and 39 bystanders, including journalists. The figure covers two weeks of unrest.
On Wednesday 28 October the government approved fines of up to 500,000 lek (about €5,500, over US$6,000) for people who stay in a crowd that turns violent. That is nearly six times the average monthly gross wage of about €930, and parliament must approve the measure within 45 days.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, traders price Rama leaving office as prime minister during 2026 at 10.5%. About US$279,000 has been traded, as of 2 November 2026, 12:34 a.m. ET.
These prices are bets, not polls. They move with each headline.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Parliament, Brussels and the Road Ahead
On Thursday 29 October, Berisha-led lawmakers entered the chamber with flares and smoke bombs during a vote on a law reforming the Bank of Albania, the central bank. Four opposition members were expelled, and the Socialist majority passed the law that day.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, condemned the arson and attacks on state institutions on 18 October. It stressed freedom of assembly, urged dialogue and welcomed Albania’s pledge to protect the right to protest.
Albania has been an EU candidate since 2014, and Rama says it can join by 2030. Marta Kos, the EU enlargement commissioner, moved the Commission’s yearly report on candidate countries from 28 October to Wednesday 4 November.
What It Means for US Readers
Albania joined NATO in 2009, so lasting instability in Tirana matters for US security planning in the Balkans. The Kushner-linked resort project gives the dispute a direct American business angle.
Riot police have used tear gas and water cannon in central Tirana, a popular spot for visitors. Travellers should check the US State Department’s current advisory for Albania before booking, and expect disruption near government buildings.
What Is Not Known
No date has been set for the next national election, and we found no recent opinion polls. The constitution allows parliament to serve four years, which points to 2029.
Casualty and arrest figures differ between reports, cover different periods and mostly come from the interior minister. How long the student protests will last is unknown.
It is unclear whether the 4 November enlargement report will name a target date for Albania. The latest stage of the Berisha and Balluku cases is also unconfirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Albania’s prime minister?
Edi Rama of the Socialist Party, who has governed since 2013. He began his fourth term in September 2025 after winning 83 of 140 seats.
How many seats does each main bloc hold?
The Socialists hold 83 of 140 seats, and the Democratic Party alliance holds 50. Four smaller parties hold the other seven.
Why are people protesting in Albania?
Student-led protests since 13 October demand Rama’s resignation and follow months of opposition anger over corruption and a resort project. The government has answered with heavy policing and fines.
Is Albania in NATO or the EU?
Albania has been a NATO member since 2009 and an EU candidate since 2014. Rama says it can join the EU by 2030.
Sources: Central Election Commission, results of the 11 May 2025 election, 2025-05; OSCE/ODIHR final report on the 2025 election, 2025-10-23; European Commission statement on the protests, 2026-10-18; Interior Ministry and State Police briefing, 2026-10-30; Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime rulings on Balluku, 2025-11-20 and 2026-03; Polymarket, Edi Rama out as Albania PM in 2026, 2026-11-02.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief