Albania

Since the fall of communism in the early 1990s, Albania has made enormous strides in transitioning from dictatorship to democracy, while stalwartly supporting the broader Western Balkans’ integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. The International Republican Institute has helped this transition by supporting and working with Albanian political parties, national and local government, and civil society to strengthen their democracy and pursue a future for their country defined by accountable, transparent, and responsive governance.

In Albania, IRI’s programming is focused on enhancing the capabilities of the country’s political parties and their members as a key pillar of support for Albania as it strengthens its democracy and its ability to deliver on citizens’ needs and priorities. IRI works with the Socialist Party, the Democratic Party, and the Socialist Movement for Integration party to enhance the skills, capacity, and knowledge base of their rising politicians to better address constituent problems and governance challenges.

Political Party Strengthening Program

Albania’s Socialist Party, Democratic Party, and Socialist Movement for Integration party have made important strides over the last three decades to build party infrastructure and consolidate party members’ campaign skills. IRI has also helped party leaders and rank-and-file members advocate for constituents’ interests in Parliament and channel those preferences into policy. However, all three parties still face challenges identifying and developing publicly supported solutions to local problems.

To strengthen the skills, capacity, and knowledge base of party members, IRI is using a tailored training curriculum that incorporates knowledge from local specialists and trains them on core political skills, like policy writing and constituent communications. The curriculum also includes opportunities for participants to put their new knowledge and skills into practice, better preparing them to apply what they learned in the future.