Albania to hold local elections in Tirana and five other municipalities this fall
Albania’s capital city and five other municipalities will hold local elections this fall. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the decision one day after SPAK sent Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj’s corruption case to court. Rama confirmed that the Socialist Party will nominate current Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu as its candidate for mayor of Tirana.
Why is this important: The decision comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the country’s largest municipality being led by an acting mayor for seven months following Veliaj’s arrest. Rama argued that Tirana cannot remain “a body without a head” and that residents deserve an elected mayor rather than waiting for judicial proceedings to conclude.
Context: In a 100-minute address, Rama defended the political decision to call early elections, thanking the acting mayor for her service but insisting that Tirana’s “countless day and night projects” required stable leadership.
At the same time, Rama delivered a strong critique of SPAK and the Special Court, accusing them of conducting an unfair process against Veliaj:
“After seven months, Tirana has no elected mayor in office, no mayor convicted by justice. Today we have a mayor elected three times by the people of Tirana, who has been denied the right to be tried in freedom… even private phone calls from prison have been leaked, something that does not happen in any democratic country.”
Rama accused parts of the justice system of breaching the presumption of innocence, using pre-trial detention as public pressure, and leaking investigative data to “pre-determine the fate” of suspects. He stressed that the government will not attack SPAK or the judiciary but called for “heroic patience” while supporting legal reforms to improve the justice system. However, he emphasized that no changes to justice laws will be made without the European Commission’s green light.
Alongside Tirana, new elections will also be held in Vlora, following the resignation of Mayor Dredha; in Cërrik, after Rama appointed its mayor as Minister of Agriculture; and in Berat, Mat, and Tepelena.
Next steps: The Central Election Commission is expected to announce the exact election date in the coming days. The campaign in Tirana will likely become a key political battleground, with the Socialists seeking to retain control of the capital and the opposition facing the challenge of fielding a competitive candidate amid ongoing disputes over the legitimacy of the May 11 elections.