:
unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (140 seats; 100
are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for
four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 June 2001 with subsequent rounds on 8 July,
22 July, 29 July, 19 August 2001 (next to be held July 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PS 41.5%, PD and
coalition allies 36.8%, PDR 5.2%, PSD 3.6%, PBDNJ 2.6%, PASH (now
PAA) 2.6%, PAD 2.5%; seats by party - PS 73, PD and coalition allies
46, PDR 6, PSD 4, PBDNJ 3, PASH (now PAA) 3, PAD 3, independents 2;
note - seats by party as of January 2005: PS 65, PD and coalition
allies 46, LSI 9, PDR 6, PSD 3, PBDNJ 3, PASH (now PAA) 3, PAD 3,
PDS 1, independents 1

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the
People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and
district courts

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian
Democratic Party or PDK [Nikolle LESI]; Communist Party of Albania
or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or PAD [Neritan
CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement
Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Arjan
STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Adriatik
ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of
National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or
PDR [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social
Democracy Party or PDS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir
META]; Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albanian Party of Labor)
[Fatos NANO]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO];
Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI];
Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or
BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

International organization participation:
ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of