Albanian parliamentary election, 2001
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections were held in Albania
on 24 June 2001. The result was a victory for the ruling Socialist Party of Albania
, which won 73 of the 140 seats, resulting in Ilir Meta
remaining Prime Minister. Voter turnout was 53.6%.
announced on 18 April 2001 that the first round of the elections would be held on the 24 June with the second round on 8 July. The governing Socialist Party had the aim of gaining 60% of the vote in order to have a sufficient majority to elect a new President in 2002. They campaigned on infrastructure improvements such as in communication and transport and on their record in restoring order and economic growth. They were also boosted by achieving the opening of negotiations with the European Union
on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement
just before the election.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Albania
led by ex-President Sali Berisha
had moderated its message after losing the 2000 local elections
. They formed a coalition of right wing
parties, the Union for Victory Coalition
, and said that they were open to dealing with other parties if they won the election. They hoped to make gains due to public concern over corruption and the continuing poverty in Albania.
The campaign was generally peaceful and with no reliable opinion poll
s most observers expected the ruling Socialists to be re-elected with a smaller majority.
reached about 60%. The governing Socialist party claimed that they won 45 of the 100 seats. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) described the election as having made progress towards international democratic standards. However the opposition Democratic party claimed there was widespread intimidation and electoral fraud. Procedural differences led to polling station
s being kept closed in Lushnje
leading to voting having to be delayed for about 30,000 people. The results of the first round showed that the Socialists won 33 seats as against 17 won by the Democrats.
Note that the data is inconsistent and there is a difference of 22,805 between the parties' total and the number of valid votes.
Albania
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...
on 24 June 2001. The result was a victory for the ruling 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...
, which won 73 of the 140 seats, resulting in Ilir Meta
Ilir Meta
Ilir Rexhep Meta is an Albanian politician. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister. He was Prime Minister of Albania from 1999 to 2002 and has been Foreign minister twice since then.- Studies :...
remaining Prime Minister. Voter turnout was 53.6%.
Campaign
President Rexhep MeidaniRexhep Meidani
is an Albanian politician. He graduated from the University of Tirana , Faculty of Natural Sciences, Branch Physics, as well as successfully accomplished the postgraduate studies in the University of Caen...
announced on 18 April 2001 that the first round of the elections would be held on the 24 June with the second round on 8 July. The governing Socialist Party had the aim of gaining 60% of the vote in order to have a sufficient majority to elect a new President in 2002. They campaigned on infrastructure improvements such as in communication and transport and on their record in restoring order and economic growth. They were also boosted by achieving the opening of negotiations with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement
Stabilisation and Association process
In talks with countries who have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country...
just before the election.
The main opposition party, the 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...
led by ex-President 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 ....
had moderated its message after losing the 2000 local elections
Albanian local elections, 2000
The Albanian local elections in 2000 was the thith local election held in Albania. The elections where held on 1 October 2000....
. They formed a coalition of right wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
parties, the Union for Victory Coalition
Union for Victory Coalition
The Union for Victory Coalition was a coalition of political parties in Albania. The spokesman was Gent Strazimiri. It received 37.1% of the vote and 46 members of parliament in the 2001 election. It is made up of the following parties:...
, and said that they were open to dealing with other parties if they won the election. They hoped to make gains due to public concern over corruption and the continuing poverty in Albania.
The campaign was generally peaceful and with no reliable opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
s most observers expected the ruling Socialists to be re-elected with a smaller majority.
First round
Both main parties initially claimed victory after the first round on the 24 June in which turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
reached about 60%. The governing Socialist party claimed that they won 45 of the 100 seats. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
(OSCE) described the election as having made progress towards international democratic standards. However the opposition Democratic party claimed there was widespread intimidation and electoral fraud. Procedural differences led to polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s being kept closed in Lushnje
Lushnjë
Lushnjë or Lushnje is a city in Central-West Albania located at 40.95°N, 19.71°E. It is the center of the District of Lushnje in the County of Fier and has a population of about 54,813. The town was founded in late medieval times by a Turkish widow called Salushe. She built a rest stop on the...
leading to voting having to be delayed for about 30,000 people. The results of the first round showed that the Socialists won 33 seats as against 17 won by the Democrats.
Second round
A run-off vote to decide the winner in 51 districts where no candidate won over half the vote in the first round was held on 8 July. Another 40 seats were decided in proportion to the share of the vote each party won.Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | PR | Total | ||||
| 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... |
555,272 | 41.4 | 73 | 0 | 73 | |
| Union for Victory Coalition Union for Victory Coalition The Union for Victory Coalition was a coalition of political parties in Albania. The spokesman was Gent Strazimiri. It received 37.1% of the vote and 46 members of parliament in the 2001 election. It is made up of the following parties:... |
494,272 | 36.9 | 25 | 21 | 46 | |
| New Democratic Party New Democratic Party (Albania) The New Democratic Party was a Centre-right, Conservative, political party in Albania. It was led by Genc Pollo.... |
68,181 | 5.1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | New |
| Social Democratic Party of Albania Social Democratic Party of Albania The Social Democratic Party of Albania is a social-democratic Albanian political party. The party was formed on April 22, 1991. The first party congress was held in January 1992.... |
48,911 | 3.7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| Unity for Human Rights Party Unity for Human Rights Party The Unity for Human Rights Party is a centrist, liberal-inclined party in Albania. Founded in 1992, it represents Albania's minorities and is mainly related to the Greek minority as it is the political continuation of the Democratic Union of the Greek Minority .-Election results:The party usually... |
34,897 | 2.6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| Democratic Alliance Party Democratic Alliance Party (Albania) The Democratic Alliance Party is a centrist liberal party in Albania. The party was formed in 1992 by Neritan Ceka and other dissidents of the Democratic Party of Albania. Theyopposed the leadership of the party's leader Sali Berisha. The Democratic Alliance Party became part of a socialist led... |
34,262 | 2.6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| Environmentalist Agrarian Party Environmentalist Agrarian Party The Environmentalist Agrarian Party is an Albanian political party, founded in 1991. The party is led by Lufter Xhuveli. Initially the party was known as the Agrarian Party of Albania , until a name change took place in 2003... |
34,247 | 2.6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 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... |
13,867 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Christian Democratic Party of Albania Christian Democratic Party of Albania The Christian Democratic Party of Albania is a small Centre-right, Christian democratic, political party in Albania.The PDK's first election was in 1996, where it won no seats in the 140 seat Assembly of Albania but took 1.3% of the popular vote. In the following year, 1997, it won a single... |
12,226 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Social Christian Party of Albania | 9,224 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New |
| Albanian Democratic Union Party Albanian Democratic Union Party Albanian Democratic Union Party is a political party in Albania led by Ylber Valteri. The party was founded in 1993. In the 2009 parliamentary elections the party received 0.08%.... |
8,123 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 49,310 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 1,339,987 | 100 | 100 | 40 | 140 | -15 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Adam Carr | ||||||
Note that the data is inconsistent and there is a difference of 22,805 between the parties' total and the number of valid votes.