The Albanian Parliament has officially addressed the Venice Commission to obtain an opinion on the new draft law "On the Financing of Political Parties", an initiative being presented by the majority as an attempt to establish more control over the money circulating in politics.
According to the announcement published by the Venice Commission, the request was sent on April 27, 2026 by the Speaker of the Assembly, Niko Peleshi, while the draft opinion is expected to be considered at the 147th Plenary Session on June 12–13.
The draft law is being handled in cooperation with the Directorate General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, at a time when political financing and the lack of transparency continue to remain among the most criticized points of the Albanian political system.
Meanwhile, the draft has also been presented to the Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform, where the main focus is related to the funding that parties receive outside of election campaigns — an area that has been considered a "black hole" of financial control in politics for years.
One of the most important articles of the draft law is Article 7, which imposes prohibitions on certain categories of individuals and entities that will not be allowed to finance political parties, while also providing for new restrictions on donations:
-any donation over 500 thousand lek must be made only through the banking system;
-Albanian citizens can donate up to 200 thousand lek per year;
-natural persons registered under tax legislation up to 500 thousand lekë;
-legal entities up to 1 million lek per calendar year.
However, despite the new restrictions on paper, it remains to be seen whether the draft law will actually succeed in curbing informal financing and the influence of undeclared money in politics, or whether it will remain another formal reform without practical effect.
