TIRANA, Jan. 31 – Albania scored 68 points out of 100 in the ranking of political rights and civil liberties, according to the report Freedom in the World 2017, released by Freedom House.
Albania received the status of “partly free” country along with Kosovo (52) Bosnia and Herzegovina (55), Macedonia (57) and Montenegro (69).
Freedom House expressed its concern about election processes and deterioration of the rule of law in the Balkans.
“In the Balkans, meanwhile, fair election processes and the rule of law further deteriorated as the EU neglected its role in promoting democracy among aspiring member states. While there might have been deference to EU norms in the past, leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia harassed civil society critics, obstructed investigations of government wrongdoing, and ignored constitutional procedures even as EU accession talks went on, largely unfazed,” the report noted.
While Croatia and Serbia were given the “free” status, Freedom House noted that Europe is no longer a bastion of democracy as almost a quarter of states included in the survey, made steps back in terms of political rights and freedoms and civil rights.
Of the 195 countries included the freedom barometer, 87 (45%) are classified as “free”, 59 (30%) are “partly free.” Freedom House notes that the biggest problems with democracy are occurring in North African and Eurasian countries.
