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Together with the Rule of Law Centre at the University of Helsinki and in collaboration with the General Prosecution Office, International IDEA is organizing a training for law enforcement agencies on Election Integrity: Strengthening Prosecutors’ Role in Fraud Investigations on March 20–21, 2025, in Tirana, Albania.

Democracies across the world – from established to emerging – are facing a new challenge in the rise of online campaigning, and the way in which political actors increasingly spend money in this space. Online campaigning often operates in a space where rules are unclear, malign actors thrive, and regulators struggle to keep up with the rapidly changing digital landscape. 

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The first “BRIDGE Train the Facilitator (TtF) Workshop” is taking place in Albania during 4-15 July, under the facilitation of Doina Bordeianu, Zage Filiposki and Corneliu Pasat.

This 9-day training targets 18 staff of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Albania, as well as trainers with expertise in civic education.

After hosting five workshops across five countries with Electoral Management Bodies and Civil Society Organizations on the use of AI in elections, what has International IDEA learned from these exchanges?

On 23 October 2025, electoral authorities, oversight bodies, civil society representatives, and digital democracy experts from the European Union and Eastern Europe gathered in Chisinau, Moldova. The regional conference, “Overseeing Digitalization in Electoral Processes: Towards Convergence Between the EU and Eastern Europe,” was hosted by International IDEA in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova, and supported by Stiftung Mercator and the French MFA . 

On 17 October, representatives from EU Member States and Western Balkans electoral authorities, independent institutions, civil society, and media experts gathered in Tirana for the regional conference “Overseeing Digitalization in Electoral Processes: Towards Closer Convergence Between the EU and the Western Balkans.” 

Digitalization is transforming electoral processes across the European Union and its aspiring members. While it strengthens democratic participation, it also introduces risks, from opaque political financing and disinformation to foreign interference and cybersecurity threats. These challenges demand strong digital governance to keep elections free, fair and transparent within and beyond EU borders. 

The prospect of EU membership continues to drive democratic reforms in Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia and Ukraine. This report—Part 2 of a broader analysis—focuses on electoral processes and the impact of digitalization in these four candidate countries. It assesses progress in aligning with the EU acquis, particularly in areas such as data protection, cybersecurity and digital governance, while identifying persistent gaps in oversight and institutional capacity.

This report presents the findings of a comprehensive social media monitoring effort conducted during Albania’s 2025 parliamentary election campaign. It assesses the digital behaviour of political actors across Facebook, Instagram and Google platforms, focusing on campaign visibility, advertising trends and compliance with the Code of Conduct on Digital Campaigns.

The Constitution Building and Rule of Law Programme of International IDEA and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Oxford University, organized a roundtable under the theme Resistance, Reversal, Resilience: Lessons from Abuse of Law to Attack Civic Space on 12 and 13 June 2025.

As Albania wrapped up its parliamentary elections in May 2025, a new report sheds light on how political campaigns unfolded online.

Explore the evolving landscape of digital campaigning and its impact on political finance. This report examines key challenges and opportunities in regulating online fundraising, spending and transparency.

Inspired by the commitment shown by European political parties during the 2024 European elections – as well as similar national initiatives in the Netherlands and North Macedonia – Albanian political parties across the spectrum af

El 1 de octubre, IDEA Internacional, junto con el Centro de Estado de Derecho de la Universidad de Helsinki y la Comisión Electoral Central de Albania, lanzaron un debate centrado en la autorregulación y la regulación legal de la financiación de las campañas electorales en línea.

On October 1, International IDEA together with Rule of Law Centre at the University of Helsinki and Albania's Central Election Commission launched a discussion focused on the self-regulation and legal regulation of online electoral campaign financing. 

This Report delves into the financial aspect of online campaigning, depicting a landscape characterized by lax regulation, the proliferation of malicious actors, and limited oversight capabilities to keep pace with rapid changes. In this sense, the challenges facing Albania are no different from those being tackled across much of the democratic world.

This Case Study is part of The Global State of Democracy 2023 Report. 

On 4-5 July, 2023, in Tirana, Albania, International IDEA in cooperation with Rule of Law Centre of Finland and Center Election Commission of Albania hosted the regional roundtable on "Interinstitutional Cooperation on Digitalization of Electoral Processes and Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans".

Transparency in politics—in particular with regard to political finance—lies at the core of every democracy. The availability of accessible, detailed information about the funding of political parties and candidates enables scrutiny by civil society organizations and the wider public, and ensures that all political actors can be held accountable.