The Assembly
Albania is a Parliamentary Republic. Its legislative branch is represented by the Parliament while the executive is composed by the President and the Council of Ministers The judicial branch is composed of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and multiple Appeal Courts and District Courts
The Assembly of the Republic of Albania [Kuvendi i Republikës së Shqipërisë] consists of 140 seats, 100 of which are determined by direct popular vote. The remaining 40 seats are distributed by proportional representation. All Parliament members serve a four-year term. The internal structure of Parliament is composed of the Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Bureau of Parliament, Parliamentary Groups, and Parliamentary Commissions.It is elected once in four years. According to the Constitution, the Assembly is charged with approval of primary legislation and overseeing its monitoring. The Assembly nominates the Prime Minister and the government and approves their programme. It also nominates the members and chairman of the Constitutional Court and those of the High Court. The Assembly appoints as well members of other state agencies and overseeing bodies that are independent from the government. The Assembly monitors and oversees the way government implements the legislation. In doing so, it possesses various legal mechanisms that are either constitutional or created by specific law. The last general elections took place in 2020 and were won by the Socialist Party who has formed and approved the respective Council of Ministers cabinet. Next elections are due in May 2025.
The Executive Branch
The President of the Republic of Albania [Presidenti i Republikës së Shqipërisë] is elected by the Assembly on a five years term. The President is the head of state and is elected by a three-fifths majority vote of all Parliament members. The President serves a term of five years with the right to one re-election. The Constitution giveS the President authority to appoint and dismiss from office some civil servants in the executive and judicial branches and to issue decrees. The current President is Mr. Bajram Begaj elected by the Parliament in July 2022 for a five year mandate.
The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania [Këshilli i Ministrave i Republikës së Shqipërisë] is composed by the Prime Minister and Relevant Ministers is the executive branch of Albania. The current Council of Ministers is composed by 1 vice-prime Minister and 15 Ministers. The Prime Minister and the government are approved in block by the Assembly and are appointed by the President. The Council of Ministers is tasked with carrying foreign and domestic policies and with directing and controlling the activities of ministries and other state agencies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state organisms. Moreover, it proposes new legislative framework or amendments to existing legal acts to the Parliament.
The Ministry of Education and Sports [Ministria e Arsimit dhe Sportit]: Is the institution in charge for drafting education policies in the country. In the area of pre-university education it has full competences while in the area of higher education it shares competences with higher education institutions in compliance with respective autonomy. VET is a competence of Ministry of Finance which shares competence for certain aspects with local governance units and Ministry of Education and Sports.