What Pre-Election Perceptions and Evidence From the 2025 Parliamentary Election Reveal About Electoral Integrity for Albania as a “Grey Regime”

Abstract

The objective of this article is to investigate the electoral integrity of Albania, positioned globally in the grey zone democracy, through an analyses of pre-election perceptions and evidence from the 2025 parliamentary elections. To evaluate the extent to which the quality and reliability of Albanian elections encounter international standards of free and fair elections, a mixed-method approach have been employed. The research data is based on original statistics collected through a national-level survey conducted by the authors as part of a project implemented by the Institute for Political Science, objectively measured data by PEI and V-Dem and furthermore are incorporated expert analysis and official documents. The results highlight the ongoing challenges and limitations of the electoral process, which are recurrent over time, and its linkage to the voters’ perception and declining trust in its integrity. Apart from identifying the in progress factors associated to quality of elections, this study results could serve as a tool to strengthen institutional legitimacy and a possible advance of political policies toward a better functional democracy.

Received: 20 May 2025 / Accepted: 28 July 2025 / Published: 01 August 2025