TIRANA (Albania), April 11 (SeeNews) – Albanian democracy stagnated last year as every step forward was offset by one step backwards, independent watchdog organisation Freedom House said on Wednesday.
“The improvements in the June 25 elections were preceded by a political deadlock between the opposition and government during the first four months of 2017 that put the entire electoral process at risk,” the organisation said in its Nations in Transit 2018 report.
Progress in reducing cannabis cultivation was offset by revelations that former interior minister Saimir Tahiri was connected to an Albanian-Italian drug trafficking network, according to the report.
“Achievements in the war against administrative corruption was offset by the election of Ilir Meta as president of Albania, perceived by many citizens to be a symbol of corruption, as well as by the election through a simple majority in the Albanian parliament of a temporary General Prosecutor on December 18, which seriously undermined the credibility and independence of the prosecution,” Freedom House noted.
High levels of corruption, combined with low levels of efficiency, characterized the Albanian judiciary in 2017, according to the report
The media continued to face a number of structural problems including self-censorship and the intimate connections with politics and business.
“These structural problems offset the positive trend established by the increasing number of online media outlets offering more diverse and independent information,” the report reads.
In 2018, Albania holds the promise of improved governance as well as the danger of authoritarianism, Freedom House said.
“The complete control that Prime Minister Edi Rama has over the Socialist Party and the solid majority he enjoys in parliament, combined with a tight control over the executive, could give rise to authoritarian tendencies that can bring other state institutions under the premier’s control,” Freedom House said.
Details from the Nations in Transit 2018 report follow, with the scores based on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 represents the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest:
Albania |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
National Democratic Governance |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
Electoral Process |
3.75 |
3.75 |
3.5 |
Civil Society |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Independent Media |
4.25 |
4.25 |
4.25 |
Local Democratic Governance |
3.5 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
Judicial Framework and Independence |
4.75 |
4.75 |
4.75 |
Corruption |
5.25 |
5.25 |
5.25 |
Democracy Score |
4.14 |
4.14 |
4.11 |
Source: Freedom House