ANI elected president; People's Assembly
vote by number - total votes 122, for 110, against 3, abstained 2,
invalid 7

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor
(155 seats; most members are elected by direct popular vote and some
by proportional vote for four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party-PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%, PSD
2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%, PDK
1.00%, PBSD 0.84%; seats by party-PS 101, PD 27, PSD 8, PBDNJ 4, PBK
3, PAD 2, PR 2, PLL 2, PDK 1, PBSD 1, PUK 1, independents 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman of the Supreme Court is
elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term

Political parties and leaders: Albanian Socialist Party or PS
(formerly the Albania Workers Party) [Fatos NANO, chairman];
Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Albanian Republican Party or PR
[Fatmir MEHDIU]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI];
Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO, chairman]; National
Front (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Hysen SELFO]; Movement of Legality
Party or PLL [Guri DUROLLARI]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet
BEQIRI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Zef BUSHATI]; PBSD;
Democratic Party of the Right or PDD [Petrit KALAKULA]; Democratic
Alliance or PAD [Neritan CEKA]; Social Democratic Union Party or USdS
[Teodor LACO]; Albanian United Right or DBSH

International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Petrit BUSHATI
chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942
FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marisa R. LINO (15 July 1996)
embassy: Rruga E. Labinoti 103, Tirana
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624
telephone: [355] (42) 328-75, 335-20
FAX: [355] (42) 322-22

Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

@Albania:Economy

Economy-overview: An extremely poor country by European standards,
Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market
economy