By Ben Andoni
Left-wing authoritarianism in Albania is increasingly becoming an obstacle to the country’s normal development. The latest scandals—highly aggressive and offensive in nature—linked to the National Agency for the Information Society (AKSH) and the activity of the Ministry of Infrastructure, particularly those culminating around the number two figure of the Rama IV Executive, Ms. Belinda Balluku, have closed the year 2025 with the perception that the future does not look particularly promising for the country.
To clarify the concept of “Left-wing Authoritarianism,” it refers to the vast and all-encompassing concentration of power by the Socialist Party of Albania (SPA), led for four consecutive mandates by Prime Minister Edi Rama. Despite the undeniable developments Albania has experienced over the past 35 years, it cannot be denied that the harsh political legacy of the past still weighs heavily upon the country. Rama’s Left, through various SPA spokespersons and often the Prime Minister himself, does not deny that the party’s roots are deeply embedded in history, dating back to November 8, 1941 (the founding of the Communist Party of Albania). Paradoxically, on the other side, even the Right—identified with the Democratic Party—has, at many moments, acted in a similar manner within its internal politics. A tiring and overly pathetic populism.
In fact, the Albanian populism that fuels this authoritarianism is an ethno-populism. Unlike its European populist counterparts, which are usually anti-EU, Albanian populism (under Rama) presents the European Union as a genuine partner. Indeed, through this very narrative, it secured the SPA’s intoxicating victory in the 2025 elections.
But is it the deep polarization of the country and the confusion that allow populist narratives to flourish? In Albania, this sentiment is driven from the top down and is used to maintain Rama’s power, whose main attribute today is the culture of “Patronage”—the very phenomenon that was heavily criticized, especially during the 2021 “patronage” scandal—for preserving horizontal and vertical influence and support.
Nevertheless, today’s Albania remains a developing country with a parliamentary democracy, and scholars describe the current regime as a “hybrid system.” According to Freedom House, in 2024 Albania was classified as a “flawed democracy,” facing persistent challenges to its democratic processes. The ruling SPA has tightened its control over state institutions to an almost absurd degree, making checks and balances nearly impossible and, in some cases, appearing to politicize the judiciary. SPAK remains the segment attempting to challenge corruption, yet corruption itself has become immeasurable.
The revelations uncovering the anatomy of Left-wing power through cases such as “Balluku” and others, along with the extreme cynicism of officials, demonstrate that authoritarianism in Albania has reached deeply alarming levels. The balance of powers and institutional oversight are not respected by the “Rama” Executive. Public concern is further heightened by an opposition that is extremely fragmented, divided, and now engaged in internal battles—where the Berisha–Salianji saga has become the new PD soap opera, bringing further erosion to the party without generating growth or trust within the opposition electorate.
The media, recently, has been increasingly attacked and trampled upon, at times even facing physical assaults. Yet even this seems minor when compared to corruption cases that reveal how the party’s “hidden” authoritarian tendencies increasingly intersect with organized crime. The case of the Durrës cadastre and the casual references to Elbasan criminal gangs are among the clearest indicators.
The consequences are painful. The Special Eurobarometer on Corruption 2025 shows that 86% of respondents believe corruption is widespread in their country (EU average: 69%), and 45% feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average: 30%). Meanwhile, a study published by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in September 2025 sheds light on the alarming dimensions of money laundering in Albania’s real estate sector over the past decade. The analysis, authored by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adriatik Kotorri, documents that a significant portion of the construction boom may have been financed by funds of dubious origin, with an unjustified amount of €9.13 billion raising serious questions about the source of these finances.
Migration continues to be one of the main pillars shaping Albania’s economy and society—and even a paradigm of national history, according to historian Oliver Schmidt. According to the 2024 Household Migration Survey conducted by INSTAT in cooperation with the World Bank, around 37% of Albanian households have at least one member currently living abroad or who has migrated and returned. The survey estimates that approximately 1.6 million Albanians live outside the country.
Not by chance, international concerns—channeled through reports from the U.S. State Department and the European Union—have repeatedly expressed alarm regarding corruption, the rule of law, and artificially manufactured political crises generated by today’s leadership.