WFD in Albania aims to improve the participation of young people in the political life in the country through supporting the efforts of youth wigs of main political parties. To gain a better understanding of their position in the upcoming elections of Aril 2021, our office in Tirana supported the organization Qëndresa Qyterare (Civic Resistance) to monitor and analyse the representation of young people (18-29 years) in the MP candidates’ lists for the 3 main parties: Democratic Party, Socialist Party and Socialist Movement for Integration.

The total number of young candidates on the lists for MPs in the elections of April 25 is 54. This number represents 50 candidates less than the number of candidates pertaining to this age group who ran in the parliamentary elections of 2017, which marks a significant setback for the political aspirations of youth in the country.

The number of young women competing for an MP chair has increased, and there are 35 girls and 19 young men as candidates, compared to 41 young women and 63 young men in 2017.

The average age of young candidates for the 3 political parties in the 2021 elections is 26 years old, while in the 2017 elections, this average was 25 years old.