What to expect from the Albanian economy in the challenging 2017 electoral year

By Ervin Lisaku TIRANA, Dec. 22 – Albania is heading to 2017 with mixed expectations about a further economic recovery with almost all attention on politics as the country prepares to elect a new president and hold general elections by next June. A decline in exports due to oil and mineral prices at record lows, public debt at 70 percent of the GDP, credit struggling to return to positive growth rates as non-performing loans stand at 20 percent are some of the key challenges the Albanian economy will face in 2017 when the mid-year general elections could pose new fiscal…