ALBANIA
Parliamentary Chamber: Kuvendi Popullor

ELECTIONS HELD IN 1992

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Chamber:
  Kuvendi Popullor


Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

  22 March 1992
29 March 1992


Purpose of elections:

  Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament following the premature dissolution of this body on 11 February 1992. General elections had previously been held in March/April 1991.


Background and outcome of elections:

  On 6 December 1991, in the wake of a nationwide economic crisis and wave of strikes, the coalition “national stability Government” formed the previous June collapsed after losing the support of members of the Democratic Party of Albania (DPA), and Prime Minister Ylli Bufi (Party of Labour of Albania, renamed the Socialist Party of Albania (SPA) in June 1991) resigned. President of the Republic Ramiz Alia thereupon asked Mr. Vilson Ahmeti to head a new interim administration pending general elections. Unlike his predecessors, Mr. Ahmeti was a non-communist independent.

On 21 December, the polling date was set for 1 March 1992. It was subsequently postponed to 22 March on 11 February, the same day Parliament was prematurely dissolved. Campaigning took place against a backdrop of economic collapse and increasing social unrest. Over 500 candidates from 11 parties contested the 140 seats of the People’s Assembly, which were to be filled in two rounds of voting, if necessary. Besides the main opposition DPA, led by Dr. Sali Berisha, the previously ruling SPA was primarily challenged by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Republican Party (ARP), the last also having been a partner in the former governing coalition.

On a polling day monitored by foreign observers, DPA swept to victory in surprising fashion one year after the communist PLA had gained a similarly large triumph in the first multiparty elections. This outcome was in part attributed to the vote in rural areas, which this time went to the opposition.

Adding to its victory, DPA won all 11 seats at stake in the second round (29 March) and, together with the holdings of its allies, thus arrived at the all-important two-thirds majority in the Assembly. In this context, Mr. Ahmeti submitted the resignation of his Government and President Alia for his part stepped down on 3 April; he was succeeded by Dr. Berisha. On 13 April, Mr. Alexander Meksi became Prime Minister at the head of a largely DPA-comprised Cabinet.

STATISTICS
Round no 1 (22 and 29 March 1992): Elections results  
Number of registered electors 2,000,000 (approx.)
Voters 1,830,000 (approx.)

Round no 1: Distribution of votes  
Political Group %
Democratic Party of Albania (DPA) 62.3
Socialist Party of Albania (SPA) 25
Social Democratic Party of Albania (SDP) 4.3
Human Rights Union n.a.
Albanian Republican Party (ARP) n.a.

Round no 1: Distribution of seats  
Political Group Total
Democratic Party of Albania (DPA) 92
Socialist Party of Albania (SPA) 38
Social Democratic Party of Albania (SDP) 7
Human Rights Union 2
Albanian Republican Party (ARP) 1

Distribution of seats according to sex:  
Men: 132
Women: 8


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Copyright © 1992 Inter-Parliamentary Union