Freedom House

TIRANA, July 1 – Freedom House launched the 2009 edition of “Nations in Transit” in Prague in a joint event with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Starting with the 2005 edition, Freedom House introduced separate analysis and ratings for national democratic governance and local democratic governance to provide readers with more detailed and nuanced analysis of these two important subjects.
The ratings reflect the consensus of Freedom House, its academic advisers, and the author(s) of this report. The ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 representing the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest. The Democracy Score is an average of ratings for the categories tracked in a given year.
Albania’s deficiency in the separation of powers and identification of the state with the party in power are the main obstacles to the country’s democratization and its integration with the EU. That was the main concern on Albania expressed in the report.
It said that the separation of powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary remains fragile and intermittently damaged by political initiatives. Politicization in the public sector persists and limits the development of a professional, nonpartisan civil service, police, judiciary, electoral administration, and media. Likewise, Albania’s social and political upheaval has evolved in an uneven, and at times contradictory, manner.
On the plan to address the crimes of the former Communist regime, there were serious concerns about its constitutionality expressed by the U.S. government, EU member states, Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
It was further stated that the ruling party continues to demonstrate its tendency to control the judiciary rather than propose an all-inclusive strategy on how to reform the justice system. The party’s bias against the Office of the General Prosecutor did not improve with the dismissal of General Prosecutor Theodhori Sollaku or with the introduction of his replacement, Ina Rama. The national democratic governance rating remains at 4.25. Regarding the electoral process, it said that despite improvement, persistent tardiness in technical preparationsسuch as the issuance of ID cards, production of a transparent voter list, and establishment of the new CECطeakened the credibility of the electoral process and the maturity of Albanian democracy and its path toward Euro-Atlantic integration. Albania’s electoral process improves from 4.00 to 3.75.
Civil society in Albania struggles to serve as an important voice in public life. Donor-driven agendas, lack of a governmental strategy for cooperating with nonprofit organizations, and limited financial resources hinder development in this sector. Civil society failed to mount an exhaustive consultation process when the government changed the legal framework that regulates the activity of the sector.
The role of the media in promoting civil society organizations remains essential. Albania’s civil society rating stays at 3.00.
The most influential media outlets are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few owners. Financial resources and transparency in the media market continue to be a concern. In the biggest media controversy in 2008, the National Council
on Radio and Television fined TV News 24, an outlet known for its criticism of the government, 800,000 ALL (US$8,000) for broadcasting a television spot ridiculing a commercial by the prime minister. Investigative journalism is slowly developing, but by year’s end, the newspaper TEMA was attacked after publicizing corrupt activities by government officials. The newspaper’s printing press was blocked in violation of a court order, yet TEMA continued to produce a shorter version of the paper. Albania’s independent media rating remains unchanged at 3.75.
Decentralization remains one of the main challenges facing local government in Albania.
Albania’s rating for local democratic governance remains at 2.75.
Improving the independence, efficiency, career prospects, accountability, and transparency of the judiciary continues to be a major challenge for Albania. The judiciary continues to be perceived as one of the most corrupt segments of the society. An overall judicial reform has not been completed yet and seems unlikely before the 2009 parliamentary elections.
The infrastructure and administration supporting judges remain poor. Coordination between prosecutors and the police is insufficient. The independence of the justice system faced a constant threat from repeated government attempts to assert pressure on and control magistrates; therefore the rating for judicial framework and independence worsens from 4.00 to 4.25.
One of the most dramatic failures of the government and its “clean hands” policy can be measured by the way it has handled corruption within its own ranks. Two key ministers from the cabinet faced criminal proceedings for corruption scandals in 2008. Government pressure on the Office of the General Prosecutor and judges increased, particularly when General Prosecutor Ina Rama brought these cases to the court. Overall, magistrates are hesitant, owing to political pressure, to decide major corruption cases involving top politicians and favor the use of legal artifices to postpone the process. The media have continued to play an effective role in exposing corruption cases and informing the Albanian public. The rating for corruption remains unchanged at 5.00.
The report said that parliamentary elections slated for June 2009 are expected to have a crucial impact on the country’s democratization process, political stability, and Euro-Atlantic path.
Freedom House’s Annual Survey, “Nations in Transit” (NIT) tracks democratic developments and setbacks of 29 countries in the former Communist states of Europe and Eurasia. The 2009 report observes a worrying regional trend with more than half of the countries backsliding from democratic reforms, or continuing on a dangerous trajectory towards authoritarian governance.
“Nations in Transit 2009” is the 13th edition of Freedom House’s comprehensive, comparative study of democratic development from Central Europe to Eurasia. It examines 29 countries, including the newest independent state in the region, Kosovo. The overarching conclusion is that 2008 was a very difficult year for democracy: scores declined for 18 of the 29 countries, and a record 8 countries are now in the “consolidated authoritarian regimes” category.