State Treasury fund transfers to Political Parties, 2012-2022

This Dataset was prepared in the frame of the Datathon Albania 2023 event.

The data, graphs, visualizations and findings were prepared by the team of fellows, part of Open Data Youth Network.

The Datathon was implemented, as part of the “Open Data Access and Transparency Project activities in sectors exposed to the risk of corruption” project, supported by Sida – Sweden International Development Cooperation Agency.

In the span of ten years, 2012-2021, Political Parties in Albania have benefited from public funding in the amount of ALL 2.174 billion, of which ALL 1.784 billion covered the everyday annual activities of political parties, whereas ALL 390 million were allocated to cover electoral campaigns expenses (General Election 2013, Election Local 2015, General Election 2017, Local Election 2019, and General Election 2021). Budget expenditures, allocated as support for Political Parties during Election Campaigns, are estimated in the amount of ALL 65 million until 2021, while this year these transfers’ have doubled to ALL 130 million. Public funding for Political Parties election campaigns accounted for about 20-27% of the total public budget, dedicated to political parties during the years 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, whereas, in 2021, it accounted for almost half of it, or 47%.

On average, in an electoral year, an amount of ALL 265 million were transferred from the State Budget as financial support for political parties, while in non-electoral years, ALL 170 million or 36% less were allocated to the parties. In total, in electoral and non-electoral years, funds were transferred from the State Budget towards Political Parties in the amount of ALL 217.4 million.

In total, political parties over a 10 year period (2012-2021) have, collectively, received ALL 2.174 billion from the State Budget.

Data from the Treasury show that, over the years, the Socialist Party is the one that has benefited the most from fund transfers from the State Budget. That changes only for 2012 and 2014, when the Democratic Party was the one that benefited the most from public funds.

In total, there are 50 political parties that have managed to absorb funding from the State Budget in the years 2012-2021. In 2022, Nisma Thurje (Hashtag initiative) Party managed to profit funds as well, bringing the number of political parties benefiting from transfers from the treasury in 51.

The year with the highest public funding awarded to political parties was 2022, followed by 2017.

Electoral years, simultaneously, coincide with the years with the largest budget funds transferred from the State Budget to the political parties, in the country. The State Budget, based on treasury data, has allocated towards political parties in Albania, in 2017, a total of ALL 312.4 milion. Most of it has been allocated to the Socialist Party, respectively ALL 114 million or 36.5% of the annual fund. It is followed by the Democratic Party, with ALL 108 million or 34.6% of the 2017 annual total.

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

During 2021, an election year, political parties in the country have benefited from public funding in the amount of ALL275.8 million, of which 46.3% the SocialistParty, or ALL 127.7 milion; Democratic Party 26.2% ose ALL 72.2 milion.

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

We have disclosed below  the five parties that were awarded the largest size of Public Funding, during the 2012-2021 decade. The Justice, Integration and Unity Party started receiving funds only after 2013; before then there were divided into 2 other parties.

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The Socialist Party has increased the difference in the size of the Public funds collected over the years, compared to the Democratic Party. In 2019, in which the Democratic Party decided not to participate in the elections for Local Government (it also “burned”, ie. revoked the parliamentary mandates of the existing Members of the Parliament of that time), the biggest difference was also recorded, where the Socialist Party received ALL 68.1 million more than the Democratic Party, respectively ALL 120.9 milion the first and just ALL 52.8 milion the second. The great difference between the SP and DP, in the allocation of public funds, becomes greater after 2018 and onwards.

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

For 10 years, 2012-2021, the Socialist Party received funding from the State Budget in the amount of 893.5 million ALL. Only the Socialist Party has benefited from 41% of the State Budget funding for political parties in the 2012-2021 decade.

The State Treasury has allocated ALL 685 million over a 10 year period towards the Democratic Party, or 31.6% of the total budget allocated to political parties.

So, the two major parties have jointly benefited from 72.7% of the overall fund for political parties from the State Budget for the 2012-2021 decade.

The Freedom Party, the former Socialist Movement for Integration in the 2012-2021 ten-year period has managed to secure Public Funding in the amount of 232.8 million ALL or 10.7% of the total.

The fourth in the ranking is the Party for Justice, Integration and Unity with ALL 80.3 million benefited for the same period. The Republican Party follows with ALL 56 million, followed by the Social Democratic Party with ALL 45.6 million Public Funding collected over the 2012-2021 decade.

The Libra Party (Equal List), although active only during the 2017-2021 years  (it was created by the end of 2016), managed to secure funds from the State Budget in the amount of ALL 23.4 million, or 1.1% of the total fund transfers dedicated to Political Parties, during the 2012-2021 period.

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

In the period under examination, the year 2017 marks the largest value of Public Funding for Political Parties during Elections. Among the non-electoral years, 2016 is the one where political parties received the most sizable funding, with ALL 180 million in total. As a rule, based on the law on Political Parties, article 19/1, the year 2020 should have been the one with the largest budget allocated, given that the estimated budget for annual transfers towards political parties should not be lower than that of the previous year.

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

In total, there are 35 political parties that have benefited from Public Funding only during Election Campaigns, and not during non-electoral years. Among them, 7 have received public funding only during the years when the elections for Local Government were held.

Table: Political Parties that received funding from the State Budget only during electoral years
Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Open Spending
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Other articles and other data sets created within DataThon Albania 2023, part of the project “Open Data Access and Transparency Project activities in sectors exposed to the risk of corruption” supported by Sida – Sweden International Development Cooperation Agency, can be accessed through the Open Data Albania platform.

The Open Data Albania database, created by AIS, has disclosed, year by year, full information regarding the financing and costs of election campaigns and political parties. A group of correlated articles can be consulted in the Election Expenditures section or the Election Processes section. With the desire for transparency and improvement of electoral situations, the Organization has created methodologies and projects in search of funds for Citizen Monitoring in Elections.

Download excel: State Treasury fund transfers to Political Parties, 2012-2022
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Translated by: Rezarta Cushaj