Afrim Krasniqi

@isp.com.al

Institute of History / Albanian Academy of Sciences
Institute of History and Institute for Political Studies

Afrim Krasniqi


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Afrim Krasniqi is a Professor and researcher on contemporary history (Institute of History), and executive Director of the Albanian Institute for Political Studies (IPS). Professor Krasniqi earned his Doctorate title from the University of Tirana, defending the thesis “South Eastern Europe in the post-communist period: Analysis of political and governmental systems”. He holds a master’s degree from Viadrina University (Frankfurt, Oder, Germany). He worked as a political adviser to the office of two Albanian presidents, and appears as a columnist and political commentator on different media platforms in Albania and in the region. Furthermore, he has published many monographs, books, studies, and articles about political systems, party politics, civil society, elections, and democracy in Albania and South Eastern European (SEE) countries.

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

History, Law, Social Sciences, Political Science and International Relations
9

Scopus Publications

963

Scholar Citations

15

Scholar h-index

17

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • What Pre-Election Perceptions and Evidence From the 2025 Parliamentary Election Reveal About Electoral Integrity for Albania as a “Grey Regime”
    Dorina Bërdufi, Afrim Krasniqi
    Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Development, 2025
    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
  • Albania and Kosovo, Commonalities and Differences in the Government Systems and Models of Representative Democracy
    Kosovo and Albania A Special Relationship, 2024
  • ALBANIA’S PARLIAMENTARY ADMINISTRATION
    Afrim Krasniqi
    Routledge Handbook of Parliamentary Administrations, 2023
    Albania current parliamentary system has only 30 years of age. Since 1990, Albania is a parliamentary republic, with a unicameral parliament composed of 140 MPs. The Assembly is recognized as Albania's main representative political institution, but the Constitution does not provide any definition of the role and function of the Assembly and of its position in relation to other constitutional bodies, describing it only as the highest body that exercises legislative power. In 2020, Albania marked the 100th anniversary of the first parliament, and the scientific papers of the conference, with research authors and academics, constitute some of the few reference sources on Albanian parliamentarism. Generally, Albanian state institutions, including the Assembly, prefer to resort to the financial compensation of the unjustly fired staffers through funding from the state budget, rather than to proceed with the reinstatement of the dismissed officials for political reasons.
  • DEMOCRACY STATE AND AUTOCRATIZATION FEATURES IN THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
    Dorina Bërdufi, Afrim Krasniqi
    Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, 2022
    This article examines the Albanian political regime, as a single case study, for the period 2013-2021, as part of the Western Balkans' experience of democratic backsliding, by investigating the framework of factors linked with the formidable challenge posed by the emergence of a hybrid regime of Albania in these years. For the first time in Albania’s post-communist history, the incumbent Socialist Party of Albania won for the third time in a row the parliamentary elections of April 2021, thus making the bid for the power of the leading opposition parties much harder. This paper uses country-expert statistical data from V-Dem and qualitative data analyses. The study reveals that the over-reliance on strong leaders, the growing government control over public life, fragmentation of the opposition, its lack of appeal, organization, and mobilization, the boycott of the parliamentary mandates, combined with the weakening role of media and distrust of the citizens in democratic institutions, led to the resurgence of the authoritarian mechanisms, making the liberal democratic transformation in Albania an increasingly challenging task.
  • What kind of democracy? Which kind of pluralism? Comparing president ramiz alia’s meetings with the intellectuals and with the student representation
    Afrim Krasniqi
    End of Communist Rule in Albania Political Change and the Role of the Student Movement, 2019
    Focusing on one of the crucial events, Afrim Krasniqi compares the meetings of Ramiz Alia with the leading intellectuals—such as Ismail Kadare, Sali Berisha, and Gramoz Pashko, a meeting that took place in August 1990—and with the student representation in December 1990. Krasniqi shows convincingly that Alia’s position was relatively similar in both cases and he was not willing to allow the establishment of a multiparty democratic system. Alia was pleading for the democrats to ask for some form of democratization but the intellectuals refused to rise to the occasion. Ismail Kadare claimed that he did not know what pluralism was. Sali Berisha claimed that the people was not prepared for the establishment of a pluralist party system and that the system needed reforming but not radical change. On the other hand, in the decisive meeting that took place on December 11th, 1990, the student leaders, on their own, and on behalf of the Student Movement, were able to stand their ground and to ask for the establishment of a multiparty system. The intellectuals had failed to demand the establishment of a pluralist democratic system, even when directly prodded by Alia.
  • Albania
    Afrim Krasniqi
    Political Campaigning and Communication, 2019
  • The presidentialisation of political parties in Albania: Parliamentary constraints
    Afrim Krasniqi
    Presidentialisation of Political Parties in the Western Balkans, 2018
  • Immigrant's vote? A postponed challenge for Albania
    Afrim Krasniqi
    Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2014
    Even though Albania is one of the smallest European countries, it has one of the highest rates of emigration. It is among the few countries that have not yet implemented the participation of emigrants abroad in political elections. The study analyzes the problems of the case of Albania, the features of emigration and the political behavior with the regard to it, the constitutional and legal rapports, as well as the contrast between the international commitments of Albania, the expectations of emigrants themselves, the electoral promises of the parties, and the fragile practical achievements. My paper argues that due to the significant importance that emigration has with regard to the total number of population, the regional and global trend of granting emigrants the voting right, and the need of the political system for expansion, competition, inflows of ideas and energy, Albania has to make an immediate, stable and effective choice for involving all emigrants in political decision making.
  • The electoral systems in SEE countries: From experiments to consolidation
    Afrim Krasniqi
    Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2014
    This study analyzes the performance of the electoral systems in South Eastern European countries during the last two decades. It will argue that no other European region has experimented more with electoral systems than the SEE region. This has happened for many reasons: the lack of democratic experience, the nature of the new authoritarian regimes, the political interests of major parties and ethnical composition. Periodic changes that are made to the electoral systems are reflected by changes in the political systems. Countries where electoral systems have had more stability are those that have also had the most stable democracy levels.The study discusses the progress of the electoral process in each of the South Eastern European Country. It analyzes the features, common indicators, external and internal influences, as well as the formulas for translating votes into seats. The current study shows the tendency of regional countries to shift from the majoritarian electoral systems, introduced at first, to proportional electoral systems, as well as the new trends of specific formulas used to represent the ethnic communities and groups of citizens living abroad. While in the early 90’s the electoral system had the tendency towards new political inflows, current tendencies are opposite. The traditional parties have a tendency to control the political representation system, while the new political inflows demanding political representation face obvious difficulties.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • What Pre-Election Perceptions and Evidence From the 2025 Parliamentary Election Reveal About Electoral Integrity for Albania as a “Grey Regime”
    D Bërdufi, A Krasniqi
    Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Development 12 (2), 105-105 , 2025
    2025
  • Shqipëria dhe Kosova në vitet 1998–1999: kriza dhe lufta,“learning by doing”
    A Krasniqi
    Instituti i Historisë" Ali Hadri" Kosovë, 179-217 , 2025
    2025
  • VRASJET NË KUFI NË VITIN 1990: MIDIS LIGJIT, IDEOLOGJISË DHE DHUNËS SHTETËRORE
    A Krasniqi
    Studime Historike , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Do Demographic Factors Correlate To Voter Behavior? A Statistical Analyses
    A Krasniqi, D Bërdufi
    EIRP Proceedings 20 (1), 77-88 , 2025
    2025
  • Albania and Kosovo, Commonalities and Differences in the Government Systems and Models of Representative Democracy
    A Krasniqi
    Kosovo and Albania, 43-57 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Albania's Political Integrity: From Decommunization to Decriminalization (1990-2015)
    A Krasniqi, D Bërdufi
    Acta U. Danubius Jur., 7 , 2025
    2025
  • Shqipëria 1990-1991: Ndikimi i miteve dhe i teorive në shpjegimin e ndryshimit politik
    A Krasniqi
    Historia dhe historiografia: Refleksione mbi shqipërinë e viteve 1945-1990 … , 2023
    2023
  • Fuqitë e Mëdha dhe ndikimet në shtetformimin në Evropën Juglindore: rasti i Shqipërisë dhe praktikat krahasuese në Greqi dhe Bullgari
    A Krasniqi
    Instituti i Historisë" Ali Hadri" Kosovë, 43–62-43–62 , 2023
    2023
  • Albania's Parliamentary Administration
    A Krasniqi
    The Routledge Handbook of Parliamentary Administrations, 463-475 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 38
  • Kosovo and Albania, a Special Relationship: Retrospectives and Challenges Toward the Future
    A Krasniqi
    Kosovo’s Foreign Policy and Bilateral Relations, 55-75 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 32
  • Kriza, renia e regjimit dhe tranzicioni drejt demokracise (1986-1998)
    A Krasniqi
    Historia e shqiptareve gjate shekullit XX (1945-1990) 5, 102-150 , 2023
    2023
  • Three Decades Later: A Summary of Albania's Transition
    A Krasniqi
    Studime Historike , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 6
  • Democracy state and autocratization features in the Republic of Albania
    D Bërdufi, A Krasniqi
    Journal of Liberty and International Affairs 8 (3), 34-46 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 13
  • Kriza e të djathtës 1991-2021-Speciale (Newsbomb. al)
    A Krasniqi
    Newsbomb, 30-35 , 2022
    2022
  • Transition without justice in post-communist Albania: Its implications to collective memory building and democracy promotion
    A Gjeta
    OSCE Tirana , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 2
  • Ngjarjet e korrikut 1990 dhe përpjekjet e regjimit për ta minimizuar impaktin e tyre politik
    A Krasniqi
    EMIGRACIONI POLITIK SHQIPTAR NË VITET 1944-1990, 130-153 , 2021
    2021
  • Baza dhe konceptet kushtetuese në vendimmarrjet mbi sistemin qeverisës 1946-1990
    A Krasniqi
    Memoria 1 (1), 45-68 , 2021
    2021
  • Parlamentarizmi në tranzicion dhe mitet e përfaqësimit: rasti i Shqipërisë pas 1990
    A Krasniqi
    Parlamentarizmi shqiptar ndër vite , 2021
    2021
  • Impact on Democracy of Emergency Measures Against Covid-19: The Case of Albania
    A Krasniqi
    ISLRev 8, 28 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 6
  • Kriza e ambasadave: Shqipëria në vitet 1990: monografi
    A Krasniqi
    Akademia e Studimeve Albanologjike, Instituti i Historisë , 2020
    2020

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Partite politike ne Shqiperi 1920-2006 / Political Parties in Albania (1920-2006)
    A Krasniqi
    Historia dhe tiparet e partive, parlamenteve dhe te zhvillimeve politike … , 2006
    2006
    Citations: 425
  • Shoqëria civile në Shqipëri: historia e lindjes, zhvillimit dhe sfidat e saj
    A Krasniqi
    GEER , 2004
    2004
    Citations: 58
  • Sistemet politike në Shqipëri 1912-2008 / Political Systems in Albania 1912-2008
    A Krasniqi
    Politische Sisteme in Albanien) AIPS, Tiranë, 390 , 2009
    2009
    Citations: 52
  • Zgjedhjet në Shqipëri (1991-2008)-Zgjedhjet parlamentare, lokale dhe referendumet
    A Krasniqi
    Konica , 2009
    2009
    Citations: 39
  • Albania's Parliamentary Administration
    A Krasniqi
    The Routledge Handbook of Parliamentary Administrations, 463-475 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 38
  • The presidentialisation of political parties in Albania: parliamentary constraints
    A Krasniqi
    The presidentialisation of political parties in the Western Balkans, 169-192 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 36
  • Kosovo and Albania, a Special Relationship: Retrospectives and Challenges Toward the Future
    A Krasniqi
    Kosovo’s Foreign Policy and Bilateral Relations, 55-75 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 32
  • Rënia e demokracisë: Shqipëria në muajt janar-qershor 1997: publicistikë, politikë
    A Krasniqi
    EurRilindja , 1997
    1997
    Citations: 32
  • Demokracia e brendshme në partitë politike shqiptare / Internal democracy in Albanian political parties
    A Krasniqi, A Hackaj
    Friedrich-Erbert–Stiftung, 160 , 2013
    2013
    Citations: 28
  • Organization of parties and internal democracy of political parties in Albania
    A Krasniqi
    COMPARATIVE BALKAN POLITICS, 49 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 26
  • Midis dy dekadave: Media dhe partitë në fushata elektorale
    A Krasniqi
    Studimi-Midis-dy-dekadave-Media-dhepartit% C3% AB, Link: http://politike. al … , 2016
    2016
    Citations: 21
  • Thirty Years of Political Campaigning in Central and Eastern Europe: Albania
    A Krasniqi
    Thirty Years of Political Campaigning in Central and Eastern Europe, 179-197 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 20
  • What Kind Of Democracy? Which Kind Of Pluralism? Comparing President Ramiz Alia’s Meetings With The Intellectuals And With The Student Representation
    A Krasniqi
    The End of Communist Rule in Albania, 208-226 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 19
  • Fundi i siberisë shqiptare: lëvizja studentore dhjetor 1990 dhe shkurt 1991: publicistike politike
    A Krasniqi
    Albin , 1998
    1998
    Citations: 18
  • Sjellja zgjedhore dhe identifikimi i votes në Shqipëri
    A Krasniqi
    Konica, Tiranë , 2012
    2012
    Citations: 15
  • Democracy state and autocratization features in the Republic of Albania
    D Bërdufi, A Krasniqi
    Journal of Liberty and International Affairs 8 (3), 34-46 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 13
  • Partite politike dhe sistemet politike: historia, roli, organizimi, modelet dhe tiparet e partive dhe sistemeve politike
    A Krasniqi
    Ilar , 2008
    2008
    Citations: 12
  • Control through fear–the enemy at the gates: the case of Albania
    A Krasniqi
    Remembrance and solidarity 1 (6), 85-102 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 9
  • Trajtimi i të kaluarës në raport krahasues: Shqipëria dhe Evropa Lindore
    A Krasniqi
    Të mohuar nga regjimi , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 8
  • Three Decades Later: A Summary of Albania's Transition
    A Krasniqi
    Studime Historike , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 6