Albanian National Front Party

Origins and re-establishment

The party traces its political tradition to Balli Kombëtar, the Albanian nationalist and anti-communist movement founded during the Second World War. After the communist takeover of Albania in 1944–1945, Balli Kombëtar was banned, many of its members were persecuted or executed, and part of its leadership continued political activity in exile.^[6]

According to Albanian media accounts of post-communist party development, the party was re-established in exile in Paris on 23 December 1989 by Abas Ermenji as a continuation of the historical Balli Kombëtar tradition. After political pluralism was restored in Albania, the organization was registered inside the country and entered the post-communist party system.^[4] Hysen Selfo served as one of the party's early executive leaders in Albania.^[4]

The revived party positioned itself on the nationalist right, emphasizing anti-communism, the rehabilitation of Balli Kombëtar's historical legacy, and the Albanian national question. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, summarizing Political Parties of the World, described PBK as a right-wing nationalist party and one of Albania's oldest political parties.^[1]

1996 election and early parliamentary representation

PBK's strongest electoral result came in the 1996 Albanian parliamentary election, when the party won 81,822 votes, or 4.97 percent, and two seats in the Parliament of Albania.^[7] Albanian accounts of the party's history also state that in the 1996 elections Balli Kombëtar received about five percent of the vote, two parliamentary deputies, one mayor in Shkodër, three commune heads and 177 local councillors.^[4]

The 1996 elections were, however, highly controversial. International and human-rights observers reported serious violations and irregularities, including intimidation, ballot-stuffing and manipulation of voter lists.^[8] The political crisis following the election contributed to the instability that culminated in the 1997 Albanian civil unrest.

1997 election and the United Right

In the 1997 Albanian parliamentary election, PBK participated as part of the United Right coalition (Albanian: E Djathta e Bashkuar), alongside the Republican Party, the Party of the Democratic Right and the Movement for Democracy.^[9] The OSCE Presence in Albania's 2001 election compendium, using Central Election Commission data, listed the United Right coalition as receiving 75,286 votes, or 5.78 percent, and four parliamentary seats in 1997. Within the coalition, the National Front Party was listed with 29,944 votes, or 2.30 percent.^[9]

Albanian media have described the party's 1997 parliamentary representation as including Alfred Cako and Hysen Selfo.^[10] The same period was marked by internal disputes between supporters of Abas Ermenji and supporters of Hysen Selfo over the party's alliances and political direction.^[4]

Split with the Democratic National Front Party

The party split in the late 1990s. Hysen Selfo, formerly deputy chairman of PBK, broke away after disagreements with Abas Ermenji and founded the Democratic National Front Party (Albanian: Partia Balli Kombëtar Demokrat, PBKD).^[1] The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, citing the Political Handbook of the World, reported that PBKD was founded in 1998 after Selfo was expelled from PBK because of disagreements with Ermenji.^[1]

The split created two parties claiming continuity with the Balli Kombëtar tradition: PBK, led in later years by Adriatik Alimadhi, and PBKD, later led by Artur Roshi. The two parties have remained separate, although both have often participated in right-wing electoral coalitions.^[1]

Union for Victory and the 2001 election

In the 2001 Albanian parliamentary election, PBK joined the Union for Victory coalition led by the Democratic Party of Albania. The coalition also included the Republican Party, the Legality Movement Party and other right-wing parties.^[5] The OSCE election compendium recorded the Union for Victory coalition as receiving 487,314 votes and 46 parliamentary seats in total.^[5]

The OSCE compendium separated the Union for Victory deputies by individual party for analytical purposes and listed three National Front Party list deputies: Shpëtim Roqi, Uran Metko and Alfred Çako.^[5] A note in the same compendium stated that after the resignation of National Front leader Abas Ermenji from his mandate, the Central Election Commission gave the mandate to Luan Myftiu of the same party, based on an agreement among Union for Victory parties.^[5]

Decline after 2005

In the 2005 Albanian parliamentary election, PBK ran independently after the Central Election Commission denied its request to join the Alliance for Freedom, Justice and Welfare coalition because the request had been filed after the deadline.^[1] The party received about 1.67 percent of the proportional vote and did not win parliamentary seats.^[1] PBKD, the splinter party, ran in the Alliance for Freedom, Justice and Welfare coalition and received 0.56 percent of the vote.^[1]

After 2005, PBK's electoral strength declined substantially. It contested the 2009 Albanian parliamentary election and 2013 Albanian parliamentary election without winning seats, did not participate in the 2017 Albanian parliamentary election, and contested the 2021 Albanian parliamentary election, receiving 1,946 votes, or 0.12 percent.^[11]

2025 election

On 24 February 2025, the Central Election Commission of Albania registered the party as an electoral subject for the 2025 Albanian parliamentary election. The CEC decision listed the official party name as "Partia Balli Kombëtar", with the initials "P.B.K.", chairman Adriatik Alimadhi, and headquarters on Rruga e Kavajës in Tirana.^[12]

PBK then participated in the Democratic Party-led Alliance for a Magnificent Albania coalition for the 2025 election.^[13] Albanian media reporting on the coalition agreement listed the Albanian National Front Party, represented by Adriatik Alimadhi, among the parties signing the coalition with Sali Berisha's Democratic Party.^[14]