Constitution of Albania

The present Constitution of the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Kushtetuta e Republikës së Shqipërisë) was adopted by the Parliament of Albania on 21 October 1998 and certified by presidential decree on 28 November 1998, following a failed referendum which was boycotted by the opposition.[1][2] It is split up over many different acts. The document succeeded the 1976 Constitution, originally adopted at the creation of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania on 28 December 1976 and heavily amended on 29 April 1991.[3]

The present Constitution defines Albania as a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic.[4] It has a unicameral legislature composed of 140 members, who elect the President as the head of state, the Cabinet, which consists of the Prime Minister as the head of government, Deputy Prime Minister and all other Ministers.[5]

The Constitution is divided into 18 parts which sanction a parliamentary democracy, people's sovereignty and fundamental rights of the citizens as well as other important points. The Constitution is said to have fulfilled all the requirements for a modern European constitution.[6]

Due to political instability, Albania has had many constitutions during its history. The modern state was initially constituted as a monarchy in 1913, briefly a republic in the 1920s, then it returned to a democratic monarchy in 1928. It later became a socialist republic until the restoration of capitalism in the 1990s.

  1. ^ Historiku i Kuvendit të Shqipërisë
  2. ^ Albanian Constitution approved by the Albanian Parliament[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Andersen, Bjoern, ed. (17 March 2005). "The Albanian Constitution of 1976". Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  4. ^ "1998 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA" (PDF). osce.org. p. 1. Albania is a parliamentary republic. The Republic of Albania is a unitary and indivisible state.
  5. ^ Albanian Constitution - Venice Commission
  6. ^ "IPLS - A Brief "Constitutional History" of Albania". Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2007-09-12.