In recent years, Albania has faced a disturbing trend: a massive and ongoing depopulation, with hundreds of thousands of citizens fleeing the country in search of economic opportunity and basic dignity. This exodus coincides almost precisely with the twelve-year rule of the current Socialist government, raising urgent questions about the underlying causes of this national crisis.
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| Several inspectors in a room full of confiscated cheese and milk |
A growing number of critics and observers argue that Albania is being hollowed out from within, not simply by economic hardship, but by a deliberate system of control that favors a handful of oligarchs and powerful business elites. Economic resources are increasingly being concentrated in a small circle of individuals closely tied to the government, as the gap between ordinary citizens and those in power grows wider every year.
One glaring example lies in the treatment of Albanian writers and intellectuals. Under current legislation, even a writer attempting to publish and sell their own book must navigate a punishing bureaucratic and fiscal maze. Authors are now forced to issue tax invoices for each book sold — a requirement introduced in the early years of this administration. The effect is a 70% cost increase per book when all publishing and taxation steps are included, discouraging literary creation and stifling free expression. For many, this is not merely administrative — it is political: a quiet war against independent thought.
This centralized grip extends far beyond literature. There are widespread allegations that Prime Minister Edi Rama maintains direct or indirect control over the majority of Albania’s mainstream media outlets. Journalists and TV moderators are often accused of acting as mouthpieces for the government, while dissenting voices face marginalization or exclusion. In this environment, critical reporting is rare, and propaganda becomes the norm.
The government’s recent actions in the alpine village of Theth provide a striking and troubling symbol of this trajectory. Several tourist buildings — many family-run — were demolished under the pretense of non-compliance. These demolitions, carried out with little notice or recourse, appear to align with a broader strategy: eliminate small-scale, independent economic actors and pave the way for large, government-aligned investors to take over. Theth, with its stunning landscapes and tourism potential, is now seen by many as the next target for oligarchic takeover.
The same logic can be seen in the treatment of Albania’s struggling agricultural producers. Instead of building infrastructure such as inspection labs and regional collection centers for dairy and meat products — as one would expect from a government serious about food safety — the state deploys inspectors whose main task is to confiscate. Recently, Prime Minister Rama boasted on social media that 32 tons of dairy and meat products were seized in just six days because they were allegedly being sold without proper invoices.
This approach does not support farmers or improve public health. It pushes small producers to the margins and reinforces a system where survival is conditional on loyalty to the ruling elite. Those who remain — whether in Theth, the countryside, or the cities — are expected to conform. Economic independence, creativity, and political dissent are being systematically punished or priced out of existence.
The message is clear: the Albania of the future belongs only to those who play by the government’s rules — and only if they are useful to its objectives. For everyone else, there is the road abroad or a life of quiet submission.
This is not just economic mismanagement. It is structural disenfranchisement, designed to reshape the country demographically and economically, creating a landscape where power remains centralized and alternative voices are rendered powerless. The consequences for democracy, culture, and national identity are profound and increasingly irreversible.