Who runs local government in Albania?
A 2014 reform merged 373 communes and municipalities into 61 large municipalities (bashki), averaging about 46,500 people. Mayors and councils are directly elected every four years (last in May 2023). Above them are 12 regions (qarqe) with indirectly chosen councils, and 12 prefects appointed by the Council of Ministers. A customary code, the Kanun, survives in parts of the north as social custom but has no legal force.
Republic of Albania · Unitary republic · South-eastern Europe
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Regions – qarqe (12) | Regional council made up of mayors and councillors sent by member municipalities; it elects its chair | Regional planning and co-ordination. |
| Prefectures (12) | Prefect appointed by the Council of Ministers | Represents the state and checks the legality of local acts. |
| Municipalities – bashki (61) | Mayor (kryetar i bashkisë) and council directly elected for four years | Water, waste, local roads, kindergartens, social services, planning. |
| Administrative units – njësi administrative (about 369, mostly former communes) | Administrator appointed by the mayor | Local service offices for villages (about 2,998) and towns. |
Three questions about local power in Albania
Are local leaders elected?
Mayors and municipal councils are directly elected. Regional councils are indirect. Prefects and administrative unit administrators are appointed.
Which laws set up local government?
The Constitution (Articles 108–115), Law 139/2015 on Local Self-Government and the 2014 law on territorial division. The Kanun and village elders are informal only.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters choose mayors and councils; the prefect can challenge illegal local acts in court; the Council of Ministers can dissolve a council or dismiss a mayor for serious breaches of the Constitution or laws, and they can appeal to the Constitutional Court; the Supreme State Audit audits.
Traditional and customary authority
The Kanun (customary law associated with Lekë Dukagjini) traditionally governed honour, hospitality, property and the blood feud in northern highland communities. It has no legal force; the state's courts and criminal law apply, and killings in blood feuds are prosecuted as crimes. Elders and mediators still help settle some disputes informally. Religious communities (Muslim, Bektashi, Orthodox and Catholic) coexist and have no formal local power.
Community and neighbourhood power
Villages and urban neighbourhoods (lagje) have no elected councils of their own; they are served through administrative units run by staff appointed by the mayor. Residents can attend public consultations and council meetings. Village elders (pleqësia) remain respected in some rural areas but work informally.
Points to know
- Tirana holds about 29% of Albania's people but has had no special capital-city law since 2015.
- Around 2,998 villages are spread across the 61 municipalities.
- The 36 old districts (rrethe) survive only as administrative and statistical references.
Local terms
- Bashki
- Municipality.
- Qark
- Region, with an indirectly chosen council.
- Kanun
- Traditional customary code of northern Albania, without legal force today.
Sources
- Constitution of Albania (1998, rev. 2016), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Albania: country profile (territorial organisation, responsibilities, finance), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- Central Election Commission of Albania, Komisioni Qendror i Zgjedhjeve, checked 14 October 2026
See also: Albania's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.