varied transitions are delimited from one another, on the one hand, by the launching of onsolidation of Democracy: Albania processes of dissolution of an authoritarian C regime and, on the other, by the installation of NAJADA TAFILI some form of democracy, the return to some form of authoritarian rule, or the emergence of INTRODUCTION a revolutionary alternative. The end of the Cold War and the Linz and Stepan argue that a set of dismantlement of the Soviet Union led the prerequisites are needed for a country to pass majority of former totalitarian and communist from an authoritarian to a consolidated countries in the Soviet System to a process of democratic regime. The authors state that opening up, best described by Samuel there should exist a state with uncontested Huntington as part of a “third wave of borders; a social and political environment democracy.” This third wave introduced the conducive to the growth of civil society; a concept of democracy as a process: it moves functioning and respected political society; the from a break up of an authoritarian regime, rule of law; a usable bureaucracy; and an through transition, and towards democratic institutionalized economic society.2 For the consolidation. Former communist countries in purpose of this paper, I will focus on four of Eastern Europe are part of this third wave. these proposed prerequisites needed to While most of these countries have arguably introduce a democratic regime: a functioning achieved the successful consolidation of and respected “political society,” meaning democracy, this has not been the case with parties and other institutions for choosing Albania, where a vast array of issues continues leaders and policies; a fair and free to hold the nation back and prevents the electoral system, meaning a system of consolidation of democracy. political representation “accepted by all parties This paper takes into consideration the as the only game in town;” a social and political case of Albania as a country in transition after environment conducive to the growth of “civil the overthrow of the authoritarian communist society,” defined here as constituted by regime fifteen years ago. Why is Albanian associated groups not formally linked to democracy still unconsolidated after all of government and political parties; and the these years? Could it be argued that Albania is rule of law, meaning “strong legal and still a country in transition? regulatory frameworks, and equal access to There are a variety of different forms of justice.”3 authoritarianism that fundamentally constrain This paper argues that the new norms any democratic transition in characteristic and standards for election organization and ways and systematically create obstacles to rule of law are beyond the transitional democratic consolidation. Different types of phenomena’s explanation and that the way authoritarian regimes affect the subsequent Albania passed from an authoritarian to a trajectory of transition efforts toward 1 democratization in systematic ways. These 2 Linz and Stepan (1996). 1 Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan. Problems of 3 G. Shabbir Cheema. Bulding Democratic Institutions, Democratic Transition and Consolidation (Baltimore, Governance Reform in Developing Countries (USA: MD: John Hopkins University Press, 1996). Kumarian Press Inc., 2005). democratic regime has affected the necessary persecution. 5 In a country of only three million prerequisites proposed by Linz and Stepan. inhabitants, hundreds of thousands suffered This paper will begin with a historical political persecution. The regime and its background of the system’s change in Albania. practices created a deeply divided society and a Next, taking into consideration each one of the one-party state. Albania remained a mystery to proposed prerequisites, I argue that Albania is the outside world until the fall of communism passing from a phase of transition into a phase in 1991, when political pluralism and of setting transition effects as standards, and democratic elections were first allowed. that this is primarily a consequence of its Private property, along with religion, was unique communist past. Furthermore, I completely banned, and farmers were forced to suggest that it is imperative for Albanian join cooperatives and to collectivize their political actors to understand that the livestock. Many major public infrastructures, consolidation of democracy comes through such as railways, irrigation systems, and cooperation not based only on self-interests plantations, were executed through forced but also on society-oriented interests and that voluntary work by the population or youth. the rules of the game must be accepted by all Everybody was expected to volunteer, which is parties in play. why “voluntary work” is quite a misnomer for the kind of work that was carried out. By HISTORICAL BACKGROUND abolishing private property, through forced To place into context the complexity of collectivization and “voluntary work,” the state the current democratization process in extended its domain to the private sphere of Albania, it is important to take into account the individual, who was thus placed almost the totalitarian communist history of the completely under the state’s control. However, country. Compared to other Eastern it is important to stress that on the eve of European countries, Albania experienced one democratic changes, Albania was the poorest of the harshest and idiosyncratic communist country in Europe, with no economy and little regimes:4 It was isolated for half a century, infrastructure. even from other communist bloc countries, The main difference between Albania thus undermining current and future and the other Eastern European totalitarian development efforts. communist countries was the fact that Albania Some of the main characteristics of the did not experience liberalization towards the regime during this current period include end of the 1970s and 1980s. On the contrary, government paranoia and propaganda during this time period, the totalitarian leader directed against external players/forces/states; Enver Hoxha implemented an even more the use of patriotism and nationalistic rhetoric extreme isolationism of the country. Through to make isolation possible; the elimination of the elimination of western-educated possible political opposition; the elimination of Albanians, the party left no space for the intellectuals and dissidents; the abolishment of creation of any liberal political elite, thus religious practices; and the harshest political leaving Albania to its own devices during the transition period of the 1990s. 6 5 Elez Biberaj. Albania in Transition: The Rocky Road to Democracy (Westview Press, 1998). 4 Shinasi Rama. Probleme Politike Shqiptare (n.p.: National Albanian Studies Institute, 2006). 6 Rama (2006). The way democratic changes were political climate undoubtedly nurtured brought forth in Albania comprises an confrontational attitudes which are seen even individual phenomenon among the former in today’s politics. These attitudes are used by communist countries in East Europe. Albania the political elite especially during elections was the last country in Europe to open up to since anti-communist rhetoric continues to pluralism and democratic regime. Political play an important role. At the same time at the scientists have debated the reasons for which start of democratic changes, after more than the systemic change was eventually made forty-five years of total isolation and possible in the country: Did the popular collectivization, Albanians understood protests affect change? Or was the old political freedom as the “unhindered pursuit of personal elite eager to give in to the new changes, gains at the expense of society and public realizing there were no clear paths out of the good.”9 economic and social collapse? Shinasi A. One of the main characteristics that the Rama , argues that the systemic changes are a present Albanian society has inherited from its reflection of both; there were indeed pressures communist past is the strong identification of from below, but the political elite at that time the party with the state. The party winning the could have controlled those pressures if they so elections is perceived as the complete ruler of desired.7 the state. 10 Communist collapse in Albania was Overall, it is important to say that followed by a moral, spiritual, and cultural although the communist past was harsh and crisis, which was reflected in a loss of the democratic changes were somehow not confidence, decline in national identity, and traditional, the transition from communism to civic morals. Ismail Kadare, the prominent democracy was fulfilled in a peaceful way. Albanian writer, describes this period as the However, this left a fertile ground for other extreme of post-communistYugoslavia, democratic malformations and a vacuum where nationalistic trends existed; the where democratic prerequisites should have Albanians tended toward the other extreme: been. One of the issues stemming from the “great indifference.”8 communist legacy is the lack of a functioning Albania has also inherited significant system of checks and balances that limits the social cleavages as a result of its totalitarian misuse of power, corruption, and political communist past. During the reign of the overkill of rivals. communist regime, the nation was divided by a fundamental social cleavage which existed 1. A FUNCTIONING & RESPECTED between two groups: the supporters of POLITICAL SOCIETY