The Constitutional Dilemmas on Cases of Incompatibility and Conflict of Interest of Members of Parlament in Albania
Abstract
This paper examines the constitutional and legal framework governing the incompatibilities of the mandate of a Member of Parliament in the Republic of Albania, with particular emphasis on the prevention of conflicts of interest and the protection of the integrity of public office. The analysis focuses on Article 70 of the Constitution, which prohibits deputies from exercising other state functions or engaging in activities that derive benefits from public property, alongside the law on the prevention of conflicts of interest, which establishes additional restrictions applicable to deputies and persons related to them.
The central research question is whether incompatibility cases provided by statutory law constitute valid legal grounds for the termination of a parliamentary mandate. To address this issue, the study examines the relevant jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, the various limitations on the private interests of deputies and related persons, as well as the respective roles of the Assembly of Albania and the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of Interest. The findings indicate that, despite the existence of an extensive normative framework, inconsistencies in practical application and ambiguities in the allocation of powers between the Assembly and the Constitutional Court have undermined the establishment of a coherent and unified standard for parliamentary incompatibility.
The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for clearer legal regulation of incompatibility cases, enhanced inter-institutional coordination, and strengthened control mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of the principles of parliamentary integrity and accountability in Albania.
Downloads
References
2. De Sousa, L. (2004). The regulation of conflicts of interest in Parliament: The case of the Portuguese Assembleia da República (Policy and Governance Discussion Paper 04–09). Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government, Australian National University.
3. European Parliament. (2020). The effectiveness of conflict of interest policies in the EU-Member States (PE 651.697). Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs. www.europarl.europa.eu
4. European Parliament. (2014). Handbook on the incompatibilities and immunity of the members of the European Parliament. European Parliamentary Research Service. www.europarl.europa.eu
5. Köbel, S. (2022). The legislative power. In L. Csink & L. Trócsányi (Eds.), Comparative constitutionalism in Central Europe: Analysis on certain Central and Eastern European countries (pp. 273–292). https://doi.org/10.54171/2022.lcslt.ccice_15
6. GRECO. (2018). Fourth evaluation round report on Albania: Corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. Council of Europe. https://rm.coe.int/greco-rc4-2018-4-fourth-evaluation-round-corruption-prevention-in-resp/16808c3a35
7. OSCE, ODIHR. (2012). Background study: Professional and ethical standards for parliamentarians. https://www.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/7/7/98924.pdf
8. OECD (2017). Managing conflict of interest in the public sector: A toolkit. OECD Publishing.
9. GOV/SIGMA. (2006). Conflict-of-interest policies and practices in nine EU member states: A comparative review. https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5kml60r7g5zq-en
10. Harutyunyan, K. (2021). The role of parliaments in the fight against corruption. Westminster Foundation for Democracy, P.24-27.
11. Nicholls QC, C., Daniel, T., Bacarese, A., Maton, J. and Hatchard, J., Corruption and Misuse of Public Offi ce, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
12. Institute of Political Studies. (2019). Report on conflict of interest and respect for the code of conduct in parliamentary activity (September–December 2019). https://isp.com.al/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ISP-Raport-mbi-Konfliktin-e-Interesit-janar-prill-2019.pdf
13. Institute of Political Studies. (2020). Report on conflict of interest and compliance with the code of conduct in parliamentary activity (January–April 2020). https://isp.com.al/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ISP-RAPORTI-IV-MBI-KONFLIKTIN-E-INTERESIT-JANAR-PRILL-2020-FINAL-2020.pdf
14. Venice Commission. (2009) Report on the incompatibility of parliamentary mandates (CDL-AD(2009)027). https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx?pdffile=CDL-AD(2009)027-e
15. Venice Commission (2013) Report on Democracy, Limitation of Mandates and Incompatibility of Political Functions, pp 21. https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx?pdffile=CDL-AD(2012)027rev-e
16. Constitution of the Republic of Albania, [Kushtetuta e Republikës së Shqipërisë] (1998). www.qbz.gov.al
17. Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/
18. Constitution of the Republic of Poland [Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej] [Const. Pol.]. (1997). www.sejm.gov.pl
19. Electoral Code of France [Code électoral] (France). www.uropam.eu
20. Code of Administrative Procedures [Kodi i Procedurave Administrative i Republikës së Shqipërisë] . (2015). www.qbz.gov.al
21. Regulation of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania, [Rregullorja e Kuvendit të Republikës së Shqipërisë] (2019)
https://kuvendiwebfiles.blob.core.windows.net/webfiles/RregullorjaeKuvenditeperditesuar.pdf
22. Law No. 9367, On the prevention of conflict of interest in the exercise of public functions, as amended (2005). https://qbz.gov.al/eli/ligj/2005/04/07/9367/79855513-fa37-4a8a-8a66-b29571104d09
23. Law No. 8550 On the status of the member of the parliament, as amended, (1999). https://www.qbz.gov.al/eli/ligj/1999/11/18/8550/27fa2004-4b35-4b44-a02f-c1e27879ee1b
24. Law No. 8577, On the organization and functioning of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania (2000). https://www.qbz.gov.al/eli/ligj/2000/02/10/8577/890fabab-fb0a-427c-9b0c-1a905064bda6
25. Law No. 8480, On the functioning of collegiate bodies of state administration and public entities (1999). https://www.qbz.gov.al/eli/ligj/1999/05/27/8480/420f7939-e2ad-4abe-bf1b-64ddfb65059e
26. Assembly of the Republic of Albania. (2019). Decision No. 85/2019. www.parlament.al
27. Assembly of the Republic of Albania. (2018). Decision No. 61, dated 05.04.2018. www.parlament.al
28. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2011). Decision No. 29, dated 30.06.2011. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
29. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2011). Decision No. 44, dated 07.10.2011. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
30. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2016). Decision No. 72, dated 07.12.2016. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
31. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2016). Decision No. 93, dated 17.05.2016. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
32. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2016). Decision No. 32, dated 03.06.2016. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
33. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2016). Decision No. 7, dated 24.02.2016. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
34. Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania. (2023). Decision No. 1, dated 23.01.2023. https://www.gjykatakushtetuese.gov.al/vendime-perfundimtare-njoftime-dhe-statistika/
Copyright (c) 2026 Fjorida Ballauri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
