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Analysis: With low turnout, local elections give insights into grim demographic forecasts

Migration and demographics playing increasing role in Albanian elections TIRANA, May 16, 2023 – Albania’s latest administrative elections marked the lowest turnout ever for a competitive voting process in post-communism, with only about one in three eligible voters casting votes.  The number of people who had the right to vote …

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Elections/ Celibashi: According to the law, the result will be announced today at 22:00

If everything will goes well and the law will be respected, today at 22:00 we will have the result for the local elections for mayors. The statement comes from the head of the CEC, Ilirjan Celibashi, at the first press conference today. ” According to the law, by 10:00 p.m. …

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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

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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

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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

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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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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Roland Sejko’s ‘Film di Stato’ Represents Albania in Oscar 2027 Race

Roland Sejko’s documentary “Film di Stato” (“State Film”) has been selected as Albania’s entry for the 2027 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The film draws on an extensive collection of archival material. Through historical footage and images, it tells the story of Albania during the communist …

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Rama: Albania Targets 20 Million Visitors, Focuses on Investment and High-Value Tourism

Prime Minister Edi Rama discussed Albania’s economic growth and tourism targets during a meeting with members of the Albanian community in Staten Island, New York. Rama said Albania has undergone significant economic transformation over the past decades. He also linked this progress to the contribution of the Albanian diaspora. “The …

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Three Young Entrepreneurs Leave Emigration Behind and Invest in Albania, from Tourism to Medicinal Plants

Three young Albanians have returned from abroad and chosen to build their professional futures in their home country. Their stories, ranging from tourism to medicinal and aromatic plants, featured in the “Flasim” podcast with Prime Minister Edi Rama. The three entrepreneurs all share a similar journey. They left Albania, gained …

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Mystery ‘Let’s Get Lost’ Flight Brings Travellers and Creators from Warsaw to Albania

Wizz Air brought a group of travellers, content creators and media representatives from Warsaw to Albania with its mystery “Let’s Get Lost” flight. The participants discovered their destination only after they landed at Tirana International Airport. Tirana International Airport “Nënë Tereza” announced the initiative on social media. The airport said …

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Albanian Parliament to Host Inter-Parliamentary Conference on EU Enlargement and Accession

The Albanian Parliament will host the Inter-Parliamentary Conference “A Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Accession” tomorrow, Sept. 28, in Tirana. The conference will bring together representatives of Albanian institutions, the European Parliament and parliaments from other European countries. Participants will discuss the EU enlargement process and Albania’s path …

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UEFA Nations League: Albania Secure First Win with 2-0 Victory over Belarus

Albania secured their first UEFA Nations League win with a 2-0 victory over Belarus in Group I. A crowd of 18,150 watched the national team claim the win in Italian coach Maran’s first official match in charge. Belarus started strongly and controlled possession early in the game. The visitors held …

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Adrenaline, Sport and Celebration at Tiranathlon on Farka Lake

Farka Lake, 9.6 kilometers from central Tirana, turned into a sports arena on Sunday as the sixth edition of “Tiranathlon” brought together cycling, running and swimming. The international triathlon attracted sports fans and participants of different ages. They competed across the three disciplines in one of Tirana’s natural settings. This …

News
Rama speaks from Rinas: Measure against former SHISH chief was extreme, a key institution was exposed (Full statement)

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in a video message from Mother Teresa International Airport shortly after returning from the United States, described the measure imposed on the former head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service (SHISH) as extreme. “I have just returned from New York, where, as you know, I represented Albania …

News
Demand for 0% housing loans exceeds available quotas, ministry with record number of applications revealed

Interest among public administration employees in 0% interest housing loans has significantly exceeded the number of available quotas. By the application deadline, 2,164 applications had been submitted for 300 new home-purchase loans, around seven times the number of expected beneficiaries. The Ministry of Health recorded the highest number of applications, …

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“She had excellent references from our partners,” Rama: Vlora Hyseni owes a great moral debt to this country

Prime Minister Edi Rama responded to opposition demands for explanations regarding the appointment of Vlora Hyseni as head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service (SHISH). In a message from Mother Teresa International Airport, Rama said that Hyseni’s appointment to lead the State Intelligence Service was also based on assessments and references …

News

Roland Sejko’s ‘Film di Stato’ Represents Albania in Oscar 2027 Race

Roland Sejko’s documentary “Film di Stato” (“State Film”) has been selected as Albania’s entry for the 2027 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The film draws on an extensive collection of archival material. Through historical footage and images, it tells the story of Albania during the communist …

News

Rama: Albania Targets 20 Million Visitors, Focuses on Investment and High-Value Tourism

Prime Minister Edi Rama discussed Albania’s economic growth and tourism targets during a meeting with members of the Albanian community in Staten Island, New York. Rama said Albania has undergone significant economic transformation over the past decades. He also linked this progress to the contribution of the Albanian diaspora. “The …

News

Three Young Entrepreneurs Leave Emigration Behind and Invest in Albania, from Tourism to Medicinal Plants

Three young Albanians have returned from abroad and chosen to build their professional futures in their home country. Their stories, ranging from tourism to medicinal and aromatic plants, featured in the “Flasim” podcast with Prime Minister Edi Rama. The three entrepreneurs all share a similar journey. They left Albania, gained …

News

Mystery ‘Let’s Get Lost’ Flight Brings Travellers and Creators from Warsaw to Albania

Wizz Air brought a group of travellers, content creators and media representatives from Warsaw to Albania with its mystery “Let’s Get Lost” flight. The participants discovered their destination only after they landed at Tirana International Airport. Tirana International Airport “Nënë Tereza” announced the initiative on social media. The airport said …

News

Albanian Parliament to Host Inter-Parliamentary Conference on EU Enlargement and Accession

The Albanian Parliament will host the Inter-Parliamentary Conference “A Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Accession” tomorrow, Sept. 28, in Tirana. The conference will bring together representatives of Albanian institutions, the European Parliament and parliaments from other European countries. Participants will discuss the EU enlargement process and Albania’s path …

News

UEFA Nations League: Albania Secure First Win with 2-0 Victory over Belarus

Albania secured their first UEFA Nations League win with a 2-0 victory over Belarus in Group I. A crowd of 18,150 watched the national team claim the win in Italian coach Maran’s first official match in charge. Belarus started strongly and controlled possession early in the game. The visitors held …

News

Adrenaline, Sport and Celebration at Tiranathlon on Farka Lake

Farka Lake, 9.6 kilometers from central Tirana, turned into a sports arena on Sunday as the sixth edition of “Tiranathlon” brought together cycling, running and swimming. The international triathlon attracted sports fans and participants of different ages. They competed across the three disciplines in one of Tirana’s natural settings. This …

News

Rama speaks from Rinas: Measure against former SHISH chief was extreme, a key institution was exposed (Full statement)

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in a video message from Mother Teresa International Airport shortly after returning from the United States, described the measure imposed on the former head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service (SHISH) as extreme. “I have just returned from New York, where, as you know, I represented Albania …

News

Demand for 0% housing loans exceeds available quotas, ministry with record number of applications revealed

Interest among public administration employees in 0% interest housing loans has significantly exceeded the number of available quotas. By the application deadline, 2,164 applications had been submitted for 300 new home-purchase loans, around seven times the number of expected beneficiaries. The Ministry of Health recorded the highest number of applications, …

News

“She had excellent references from our partners,” Rama: Vlora Hyseni owes a great moral debt to this country

Prime Minister Edi Rama responded to opposition demands for explanations regarding the appointment of Vlora Hyseni as head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service (SHISH). In a message from Mother Teresa International Airport, Rama said that Hyseni’s appointment to lead the State Intelligence Service was also based on assessments and references …