The Albanian Cabinet consists of a Council of Ministers who are nominated by the Prime Minister and approved by the President. The President is elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term. The last presidential election was held on 24 July 1997, and the next is scheduled for the year 2002. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta is the youngest head of government in Europe, at 31 years of age.
Members serve four-year terms.
The last elections for the assembly were held in 1997. The Government of Sali Berisha's Democratic Party fell in May 1997 after street riots and widespread anarchy. Majko in turn resigned after Nano made a political comeback as head of the Socialist Party in October 1999. The current Prime Minister, Ilir Meta, is an English-speaking former Foreign Policy Chairman of the Socialist Party. The Albanian government strongly supported the NATO intervention in Kosovo, turning over key facilities to NATO during the period of the conflict.