At stake in this election:

• 140 seats in the People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Rexhep MEIDANI
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Ilir META
• Assembly: Albania has a unicameral People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor) with 140 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by the People's Assembly to serve a 5-year term.
• In the People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor), 100 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 40 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Socialist Party (PS)
  • Leader: Fatos NANO
  • Seats won in this election: 73
  • Seats won in last election: 101
• Party: Union of Victory Coalition (PDSH & BF)**
  • Leader: Sali BERISHA (PDSH)
  • Seats won in this election: 46
  • Seats won in last election: 23
• Party: Social Democratic Party (PSD)
  • Leader: Skender GJINUSHI
  • Seats won in this election: 4
  • Seats won in last election: 10
• Party: Union for Human Rights Party (PBDNJ)
  • Leader: Vasil MELO
  • Seats won in this election: 3
  • Seats won in last election: 4
• Party: Democratic Alliance (AD)
  • Leader: Naratan CEKA
  • Seats won in this election: 3
  • Seats won in last election: 3
• Party: Democratic Christian Party (PDK)
  • Leader: Zef BUSHATI
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 1
• Party: New Democratic Party (PD)
  • Leader: Gene POLLO
  • Seats won in this election: 6
  • Seats won in last election: 0

** Seats won in last election represent seats won by the PDSH only.

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on June 29, 1997; 155 seats were at stake.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 3,490,435 (July 2000 est.)
• Registered Voters: 2,497,444

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,511,367 (2001)

·         Is Albania a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Albania ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (11 May 1994)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 8 (5.71%) (2001)

·         Human Development Index Position: 85 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Albania a signatory to CRPD: Yes (22 December 2009)

·         Has Albania ratified CRPD: Yes (11 February 2013)

·         Population with a disability: 523,565 (est.)