| Government Name: | Council of Ministers |
| Nativename: | Këshilli i Ministrave |
| Date: | 4 December 1912 |
| State: | Republic of Albania |
| Appointed: | President of the Republic |
| Main Organ: | Council of Ministers |
| Ministries: | 15 |
| Responsible: | Parliament of Albania |
The Council of Ministers is the executive branch that constitutes the Government of Albania. The Council is led by the Prime Minister of Albania.[1] The prime minister is nominated by the President from among those candidates, who enjoy majority support in the Parliament; the candidate is then chosen by the Parliament.[2] In the absence of the prime minister, the Deputy Prime Minister takes over his functions. There are 19 other government members, serving as deputy prime ministers, government ministers or both; they are chosen by the prime minister and confirmed by the Parliament.
As of April 2017, after a reshuffle, 50% of the cabinet ministers are women. The Parliament of Albania must give final approval of the composition of the cabinet. The Cabinet is responsible for carrying out both foreign and domestic policies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state bodies.[3]
Council members are subdivided into three substantial ranks, along with one honorary rank:
The Council is responsible to the Parliament of Albania. The Parliament may choose to pass a motion of censure forcing the Council of Ministers to resign. This has the effect of forcing the Government to be composed of members from the majority political party in the Assembly or to be allied to the majority in a coalition. Ministers are required to answer written or oral questions put to them by members of Parliament, known as Government questions. In addition, ministers attend sessions of the Parliament when laws concerning their assigned sectors and departmental portfolios are under consideration.
Cabinet ministers cannot propose legislation without parliamentary approval. Ministers can however propose bills to Parliament and any such legislation is generally very likely to pass. On occasion, the majority opinion in Parliament may differ significantly from those of the executive, resulting in a large number of riders.
The Cabinet plays a major role in determining the agenda of the Parliament. It can propose laws and amendments during parliamentary sessions. It also has a number of procedures at its disposal to expedite parliamentary deliberations.
With the unilateral declaration of Albania's Independence on 28 November 1912 by the Ottoman Empire, one of the first governing bodies to emerge from the All-Albanian Congress was the formation of the Provisional Government and the Council of Ministers as the highest executive body in the country.[4] However, the government did not last long due to its non-recognition by some of the Great Powers of the time. On 29 July 1913, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, and Italy, together with Greece and Romania as interested parties, agreed to adopt the Organic Statute of Albania (Albanian: Statuti Organik i Shqipërisë) which would serve as the first constitution of the new state created.[5] The statute sanctioned since in the 1st Article that Albania was a constitutional, sovereign, and hereditary Principality under the guarantee of the six Great Powers. Its formal adoption took place in Vlorë on 14 January 1914. On 22 January 1914, Ismail Qemali, one of the founders of the Albanian state and head of the Provisional Government, was forced to resign and hand it over to the International Control Commission (Albanian: Komisioni Ndërkombëtar i Kontrollit të Kufinjve) which would serve as the highest executive body until the appointment of the monarch from the Great Powers and his arrival in Albania.[6]
The Statute in Chapter V entitled § Government Bodies sanctioned the central government institutions, as well as their competencies and duties. Article 72 states: The Albanian Government consists of a Council of Ministers headed by a Prime Minister. While in the next article it described the composition of the council, where there are a total of 4 ministries, which are: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Finances and the Ministry of Justice, while the Prime Minister simultaneously exercised also the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs. The PM, as well as all ministers were appointed by the Prince, whose oath before taking office should be taken, as well as the handover of office after resignation. Although the statute sanctioned only 4 ministries, in the first government appointed by Prince Wilhelm, there were more departments than anticipated.[7]
See main article: Rama I Government, Rama II Government and Rama III Government.
| No. | Government | Mandate | Days | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Provisional Government | 4 December 1912 | 22 January 1914 | |
| – | International Control Commission | 22 January 1914 | 17 March 1914 | |
| 2nd | Përmeti I Government | 17 March 1914 | 3 September 1914 | |
| 3rd | Toptani Government | 5 October 1914 | 27 January 1916 | |
| – | vacant | 23 January 1916 | 30 October 1918 | |
| 4th | Government of Durrës | 25 December 1918 | 29 January 1920 | |
| 5th | Delvina Government | 30 January 1920 | 14 November 1920 | |
| 6th | Vrioni I Government | 19 November 1920 | 1 July 1921 | |
| 7th | Vrioni II Government | 11 July 1921 | 11 October 1921 | |
| 8th | Sacred Union Government | 16 October 1921 | 6 December 1921 | |
| 9th | Koculi Government | 6 December 1921 | 6 December 1921 | |
| 10th | Prishtina Government | 7 December 1921 | 12 December 1921 | |
| 11th | Kosturi Government | 12 December 1921 | 24 December 1921 | |
| 12th | Ypi Government | 24 December 1921 | 2 December 1922 | |
| 13th | Zogu I Government | 2 December 1922 | 25 February 1924 | |
| 14th | Vërlaci I Government | 3 March 1924 | 27 May 1924 | |
| 15th | Vrioni III Government | 30 May 1924 | 10 June 1924 | |
| 16th | Noli Government | 16 June 1924 | 24 December 1924 | |
| 17th | Zogu II Government | 6 January 1925 | 31 January 1925 | |
| 18th | Zogu III Government | 1 February 1925 | 23 September 1925 | |
| 19th | Zogu IV Government | 28 September 1925 | 10 February 1927 | |
| 20th | Zogu V Government | 12 February 1927 | 20 October 1927 | |
| 21st | Zogu VI Government | 24 October 1927 | 10 May 1928 | |
| 22nd | Zogu VII Government | 11 May 1928 | 1 September 1928 | |
| 23rd | Kotta I Government | 5 September 1928 | 5 March 1930 | |
| 24th | Evangjeli II Government | 6 March 1930 | 11 April 1931 | |
| 25th | Evangjeli III Government | 20 April 1931 | 7 December 1932 | |
| 26th | Evangjeli IV Government | 11 January 1933 | 16 October 1935 | |
| 27th | Frashëri Government | 21 October 1935 | 7 November 1936 | |
| 28th | Kotta II Government | 9 November 1936 | 7 April 1939 | |
| – | Interim Administrative Committee | 8 April 1939 | 12 April 1939 | |
| 29th | Vërlaci II Government | 12 April 1939 | 3 December 1941 | |
| 30th | Merlika-Kruja Government | 3 December 1941 | 4 January 1943 | |
| 31st | Libohova I Government | 18 January 1943 | 11 February 1943 | |
| 32nd | Bushati Government | 12 February 1943 | 28 April 1943 | |
| 33rd | Libohova II Government | 11 May 1943 | 12 September 1943 | |
| – | Interim Executive Committee | 14 September 1943 | 4 November 1943 | |
| 34th | Mitrovica Government | 5 November 1943 | 16 June 1944 | |
| 35th | Dine Government | 18 July 1944 | 28 August 1944 | |
| 36th | Biçaku Government | 6 September 1944 | 25 October 1944 | |
| 37th | Democratic Government of Albania | 23 October 1944 | 21 March 1946 | |
| 38th | Hoxha II Government | 22 March 1946 | 4 July 1950 | |
| 39th | Hoxha III Government | 5 July 1950 | 19 July 1954 | |
| 40th | Shehu I Government | 20 July 1954 | 21 June 1958 | |
| 41st | Shehu II Government | 22 June 1958 | 16 July 1962 | |
| 42nd | Shehu III Government | 17 July 1962 | 13 September 1966 | |
| 43rd | Shehu IV Government | 14 September 1966 | 18 November 1970 | |
| 44th | Shehu V Government | 19 November 1970 | 28 October 1974 | |
| 45th | Shehu VI Government | 28 October 1974 | 26 December 1978 | |
| 46th | Shehu VII Government | 27 December 1978 | 18 December 1981 | |
| 47th | Çarçani I Government | 15 January 1982 | 23 November 1982 | |
| 48th | Çarçani II Government | 23 November 1982 | 19 February 1987 | |
| 49th | Çarçani III Government | 20 February 1987 | 21 February 1991 | |
| 50th | Nano I Government | 22 February 1991 | 11 May 1991 | |
| 51st | Nano II Government | 11 May 1991 | 12 June 1991 | |
| 52nd | Government of Stability | 12 June 1991 | 6 December 1991 | |
| 53rd | Technical Government | 18 December 1991 | 13 April 1992 | |
| 54th | Meksi I Government | 13 April 1992 | 10 July 1996 | |
| 55th | Meksi II Government | 11 July 1996 | 1 March 1997 | |
| 56th | Government of National Reconciliation | 12 March 1997 | 24 July 1997 | |
| 57th | Nano III Government | 25 July 1997 | 28 September 1998 | |
| 58th | Majko I Government | 2 October 1998 | 25 October 1999 | |
| 59th | Meta I Government | 28 October 1999 | 6 September 2001 | |
| 60th | Meta II Government | 6 September 2001 | 29 January 2002 | |
| 61st | Majko II Government | 22 February 2002 | 25 July 2002 | |
| 62nd | Nano IV Government | 29 July 2002 | 10 September 2005 | |
| 63rd | Berisha I Government | 11 September 2005 | 17 September 2009 | |
| 64th | Berisha II Government | 17 September 2009 | 15 September 2013 | |
| 65th | Rama I Government | 17 September 2013 | 13 September 2017 | |
| 66th | Rama II Government | 13 September 2017 | 18 September 2021 | |
| 67th | Rama III Government | 18 September 2021 | Incumbent | |