Il lungo cammino dell’Albania verso la democrazia e la libertà

Abstract

When Stalinist and isolationist regime, led for decades by the ruthless Enver Hoxha, finally came to end, Albania found itself in the worst socio-economic conditions in Old Continent and lacked any prior democratic or liberal traditions on which to at least it could partially base its institutional transition. This gave rise to a complex process of forming the rule of law which, compared to other Eastern European Countries, was not only significantly delayed, but also far more externally driven by international organizations, foreign governments and others outside actors. Indeed, it was only in 1998 that the Land of the Eagles adopted a definitive, single-document post-communist Constitution, clearly, although not entirely, modeled on the Italian one. Today, hence, while some constitutional revisions and legislative reforms still seem necessary (if only to further strengthen the system of checks and balances among sovereign powers and to better protect the fundamental rights, particularly those of a social nature), the most pressing issue to be addressed remains the gap between law in books and law in action. The new Albanian public institutions, moreover, need not only to be consolidated from a higher level by governing elite, but also, and above all, to be anchored from below within the governed community. Ultimately, if the saying that politics is a faithful mirror of society holds true, what is first and foremost required is a demonstration of society’s pride, that is, a cultural struggle in which both honest and willing individuals, as well as the various organizations of civil society, are actively engaged at the forefront.