For Tourism-Dependent Balkan States, Foreign Workers Fill Growing Gap
Tourism is a mainstay of the Croatian, Montenegrin and Albanian economies. But growing labour shortages mean hotels, restaurants and bars are increasingly looking abroad for staff. Original post Here
Share Your Experience: School Violence in South Eastern Europe
We would like to hear from parents, legal guardians, and teachers willing to share their experiences to help our upcoming investigation into school violence in Southeast Europe. Original post Here
Ruling Socialists Defeat Divided Opposition in Albanian Local Polls
Preliminary data from Albania’s Central Election Commission shows that the ruling Socialist Party is leading in the majority of municipalities in the country, including the capital Tirana. Original post Here
Opposition candidate wins Puka Municipality
Candidate of “Together We Win” coalition, Rrok Dodaj has won this Monday the May 14 local elections for Puka Municipality with 58.13%, against the Socialist Party’s (SP) candidate, Gjon Gjonaj with 41.87% Based on the published data, hope of the “Together We Win” coalition candidates to hold another term in …
Socialist Party leads in 54 municipalities from north to south, “Together We Win” is expected to win in 7 cities
A few hours have passed since the official start of the counting of votes to announce the new mayors from the May 14 elections. So far, the counting for the mayor has been completed in the Municipality of Kamza, in Elbasan and in Vorë, where the counting was done electronically, …
Ballot counting interrupted in Tirana’s number five unit
Counting of ballots has been stopped this Monday for several hours at the “Vasil Shanto” school in Tirana and is expected to start at 11:00. Halting of the process has come despite the order by Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ilirjan Celibashi vote counters must continue working without …
Arrested opposition candidate wins Himara municipality
Candidate of the “Together We Win” coalition, Fredi Beleri has won the mandate of the mayor of Himara in the May 14 elections, although he was arrested on vote-rigging charges. According to the local media, Beleri won by a narrow margin to his Socialist Party (SP) opponent, Jorgo Goro. Meanwhile, …
Saranda, Belsh municipalities won by socialist candidates
Process of ballots’ counting has finished this Monday in the Municipality of Saranda and Belsh, where candidates of the Socialist Party have won over their opponents from the “Together We Win” coalition. Arif Tafani has secured the next mandate at the head of the city of Belsh with a very …
Socialist woman mayor elected in Klos municipality
Candidate of the Socialist Party (SP), Valbona Kola will be Mayor of Klos Municipality, where the ballot counting has been officially closed this Monday. Kola won the May 14 local elections with 4466 votes against the “Together We Win” coalition candidate, Bedri Hoxha who got 3499 votes. On the other …
Ruling Socialists head for sweeping victory of Albania’s administrative elections
TIRANA, May 15, 2023 – Albania’s ruling Socialist Party is projected to win 52 of the country’s 61 municipal elections, including every single large population center, as vote counting reaches its final stage. The Socialists are set to win the key races of the largest cities of Tirana and Durres, …
Prime Minister Edi Rama has officially announced a change in of Albania’s Interior Ministry, with Besfort Lamallari leaving the post and Ervin Demo taking over as minister. During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, Rama said the move was part of a reshuffle within the government team. Lamallari will …
Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced changes to his government, with Ervin Demo taking over as Interior Minister as of Friday. Demo had served as Minister of State for Local Government since September 2025. As part of the latest government changes, the Ministry of State for Local Government will be …
Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted after the Administrative Court issued a decision unblocking salaries for the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) and the Durrës Court. In a post on X, Rama criticized the speed with which, according to him, the court acted on the issue of judges’ …
Historical narratives, political systems, institutions and economies across the region are being put to the test as old problems collide with new pressures, our selection of Balkan Insight’s Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here
Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced a change at the helm of the Interior Ministry. Besfort Lamallari will leave the post and move to the Prime Minister’s Office, while Ervin Demo will take over the ministry. Rama announced the move while presenting changes to the government. He said Lamallari would …
The Ministry of Defense reported 40 wildfires across Albania in the past 24 hours. Six remain active, nine are under monitoring and 25 have been fully extinguished. A total of 492 local personnel and 36 firefighting vehicles are supporting operations. The Armed Forces have deployed 133 personnel, one helicopter, two …
Klodiana Spahiu has been sworn in as Minister of Health and Social Welfare at the Presidency. President Bajram Begaj appointed her following Prime Minister Edi Rama’s proposal, after Evis Sala resigned from the post. Spahiu is a cardiologist and holds a medical degree from the University of Tirana. She later …
An exhibition dedicated to one of Albania’s leading 20th-century artists, Ibrahim Kodra, will open in Tirana on September 23. “Ibrahim Kodra – The Sea and Music” will be held at the Bank of Albania and will remain open until November 23. The exhibition features 41 works created between 1947 and …
Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja announced the launch of a national campaign to register artisans across Albania. The campaign aims to identify, assess and promote traditional crafts and the people who preserve them. Gonxhja said the campaign would give greater visibility to artisans and their work. It will …
Economy and Innovation Minister Delina Ibrahimaj has announced a new National Housing Fund to support not only vulnerable groups, but also professionals, young people and newly formed families. Speaking after a government meeting, Ibrahimaj said the programme will make 7,000 apartments available. Around 2,000 will be offered through interest-free loans …