Prosecutor General to vet 16 candidates ahead of May 11 elections

Albania’s Prosecutor General will carry out in-depth background checks on 16 candidates running for parliament in the May 11 elections, after they self-declared past legal troubles in their decriminalization forms. The request was submitted by the State Election Commissioner and covers candidates from eight political parties and coalitions—mostly from smaller, newer political groups.

Why is this important: The list includes no candidates from the ruling Socialist Party or the main opposition Democratic Party. Instead, all flagged individuals are from new parties, many of which have built their campaigns on promises to clean up Albanian politics. The development is ironic and underscores how even parties that denounce corruption and criminal ties are not immune to candidate vetting issues.

Context: The parties with the highest number of flagged candidates are the coalition “Nisma – Shqipëria Bëhet” of Adriatik Llalla and the Social Democratic Party led by Tom Doshi, each with four individuals now under review.

Among them:

Entela Sula (Tirana) was deported from France after her asylum request was denied.

Erjon Selmani (Lezhë) is awaiting trial in Italy for tax evasion.

Euglen Gjini (Fier) was deported from Germany during the COVID period.

Gazmir Memaj (Shkodër) was expelled from Serbia earlier this year.

From the Social Democratic Party:

Klaudio Zotaj (Vlorë) was detained by Norwegian police for overstaying his visa.

Others, like Kreshnik Gjonaj and Florjan Tomçini, declared driving-related legal issues while abroad.

Lisman Pellumaj (Shkodër) declared an accusation of theft in Germany but said he was acquitted.

The most serious case appears to be Geront Sefo from the Democratic Alliance led by Edmond Stojku. He declared a past arrest for illegal weapons production and assault in Albania, and a deportation from Italy tied to a case in Catania for alleged criminal cooperation—though he claims acquittal in both.

Other flagged candidates include:

Two from Agron Shehaj’s party “Mundësia”: both deported from France and Austria for immigration violations.

One from Arlind Qori’s “Bashkë,” under investigation in Kosovo for theft.

One from Lulzim Basha’s Democratic Euro-Atlantic party, Desard Muzhaqi, who served jail time in Greece.

Two others from smaller parties in Vlorë and Shkodër were also referred for checks.

What else: If the Prosecutor General finds any of the candidates in violation of the decriminalization law, they will be disqualified and removed from the race. While both the Socialist Party and Democratic Party have faced past criticism over criminal links in their candidate ranks, this year’s vetting results suggest they have taken a more cautious approach by avoiding such individuals.