Why the Old Political Theater has Failed Albania
For more than three decades, Albania has been governed almost exclusively by two major political parties, Partia Demokratike (PD) and Partia Socialiste (PS), two formations whose roots trace back to the post-communist transition era. But this repeated alternation in power has produced little more than public relations and political theater. While the names changed, the outcomes stayed the same: a stagnating economy, under-invested production sectors, and a society that continues to pay the price.
Albania remains one of the least developed countries in Europe — not because Albanians lack resources or potential — but because institutional support for real economic sectors has been consistently absent. Nowhere is this neglect more evident than in agriculture and domestic industry, long considered key for sustainable growth.
Agriculture in Freefall: Facts Speak for Themselves
Agriculture — once the backbone of rural communities and a major source of employment — is now in a deep crisis. According to recent data:
- In 2025, the agricultural sector recorded a decline of –2.76%, while manufacturing shrank by –7.46%.
- The contribution of agriculture to GDP is shrinking. In 2024 it dropped to 15.45%, down from over 19% a decade ago.
- Albania remains, paradoxically, “the most agricultural” country in Europe, with agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributing around 17–18% of GDP — much higher than the EU average of ~1.7%.
- Yet, despite this heavy reliance, agriculture is “the least financed sector” in the national budget.
Why this contradiction? Because the support structures are either absent or dysfunctional.
- State subsidies are minimal and fragmented. Often, the majority of rural-development funds go not to farmers, but to administrative overhead: in 2025, 69% of the money allocated for rural programs went to staff and consulting, while only 21% was invested directly into production.
- Underfunding and lack of investment discourage farmers: many abandoned cultivation, livestock farming, or agro-processing altogether.
In practical terms: produce generates far less value than its potential, many families abandon rural livelihoods, and the country becomes ever more dependent on imported food — even if it nominally remains “agricultural.”
Oil Paradox: We Produce — We Still Pay the Most
One of the most scandalous examples of Albania’s development failure lies in oil. The country extracts hundreds of thousands of tons of crude oil annually, yet Albanians continue to pay some of the highest fuel prices in the region.
In 2023 alone, Albanian crude-oil production reached nearly 900,000 tons — a quantity sufficient to satisfy the domestic fuel demand and even create surplus for export.
So why does the average citizen pay diesel and petrol prices that are higher than in neighboring countries? The answer is simple: because there is no functioning refinery in Albania. Crude oil is exported in raw form, while refined products are imported back — at a cost.
This paradox is baffling: a country with domestic oil resources, yet ordinary people pay top regional prices. That should tell us something about where priorities have failed.
Why This Happens: Two-Party Rule, No Strategic Vision
The persistent crisis in agriculture and the fuel paradox are symptoms of a deeper problem: a systemic lack of long-term strategy under a political duopoly. PD and PS have, in practice, alternated power without delivering structural reforms.
Instead of treating sectors like agriculture and energy as strategic assets — with coherent policies, investments, and reforms — successive governments have treated them as sources of quick revenue, bureaucracy, and missed opportunity.
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Funds allocated to agriculture are hardly invested in real production, infrastructure, or modernization.
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Valuable natural resources like oil are extracted but never fully utilized domestically — while ordinary citizens bear the burden of high fuel prices.
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Opportunities for job creation, export growth, and economic self-reliance are ignored — leading to rural abandonment, urban migration, and increased dependency on imports and external debt.
This mismanagement is not accidental. It reflects a political culture focused on short-term gains, patronage and appearance — not on long-term national development.
A New Hope: A Call for National Strategy Beyond PD-PS
It is in this context that Mundesia — the political movement led by Agron Shehaj — makes sense. Shehaj, recently acting to mobilize talk and action beyond the PD-PS paradigm, has issued a bold invitation:
“Justice is in danger! I call on citizens, activists, professionals, members of political or non-political organizations — anyone who thinks the time has come for a national strategy in defense of justice and against the corrupt. Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 18:00 at Hotel Tirana — let’s all sit down together and find a solution.”
His appeal is not just political rhetoric — it is an invitation for collective responsibility and for building a real national plan that revives the economy, supports agriculture, harnesses natural resources properly, ensures fairness, and fosters long-term prosperity.
Given how both agriculture and industry have been shrinking for years, and how Albania continues to export raw oil instead of refining it locally — the new leadership and fresh ideas might be what the country desperately needs.
What a Real National Strategy Should Include
If Albanians take this call seriously, a genuine national strategy must include:
- Robust support for agriculture and rural development — real subsidies, investments in infrastructure, mechanization, irrigation, and agro-processing, not just administrative overhead.
- Revitalization of agro-industry and food value chains — to turn raw produce into exportable goods, add value, create jobs, and reduce dependence on imports.
- Utilization of natural resources for national benefit — for example, building or reviving a domestic refinery so that Albanian crude oil benefits Albanian consumers first.
- Transparent governance, anti-corruption and merit-based administration — moving away from patronage and toward meritocracy, accountability, and long-term planning.
- Inclusive civic participation — encouraging citizens, civil society, professionals, and ordinary people to engage in discussion and decision-making beyond partisan lines.
Such a strategy would not just be a political statement. It would be a blueprint for real socio-economic transformation.
Conclusion: The Hour of Truth for Albania
Albania cannot afford another generation of alternation between the same two political elites, serving the same limited agendas. The decline of agriculture and industry, the absurd paradox of producing oil yet paying high fuel prices, and the chronic lack of strategic investments — all these are warnings.
Now is the time for a genuine national awakening. A time to answer the call of Agron Shehaj and the new political voices pushing for a different path. A path oriented toward real development, social justice, and long-term prosperity for all Albanians — not only the elite.
If we want Albania to rise, we must change the rules of the game. We must stop playing political theatre, and start building a real nation.