Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania (, PS or PSSh) is a centre-left, to left-wing, social-democratic political party in Albania. It was founded on 13 June 1991. The PS is an associate of the Party of European Socialists and a member of the Socialist International, and holds pro-European views. History. The PS' predecessor, the Party of Labour of Albania ("Partia e Punës së Shqipërisë - PPSH"), was formed in November 1941, and has been known as the Socialist Party ("Partia Socialiste - PSSH") since 1991, when it survived in the wake of the dramatic changes that  had taken place in Albania since 1989. PPSH was the Albanian Communist party under its founder and longtime leader Enver Hoxha and the only ruling party in the country since the end of World War II. Hoxha's successor Ramiz Alia was forced to introduce limited reforms in the late 1980s. On 11 December 1990, Alia announced that the PPSh had given up its monopoly of power. The PPSh won the 1991 Albanian Constitutional Assembly election, the first free elections held in the country in almost 80 years. By this time, it was no longer a Marxist–Leninist party. At  an extraordinary congress on 10–13 June 1991, the PPSh voted to change its name to the PS in an effort to survive in the new system. Fatos Nano, a man from the intelligentsia, was elected the new chairman. Nano helped to reform the old Communist party and made it a member of the Socialist International. A faction of the party, led by Ilir Meta, split away from the PS in 2004 and formed the Socialist Movement for Integration ("Lëvizja Socialiste për Integrim", LSI). On 10 October 2005, Nano resigned as the chairman of the PS after losing the 2005 Albanian  parliamentary election, and was succeeded by Edi Rama. Under Rama's lead, the PS formed the "Alliance for a European Albania", which united several centre-left to left-wing political parties, including PS, LSI, the Social Democratic Party of Albania (PSD), the Social Democracy Party of Albania (PDS), the Communist Party of Albania (PKSh), the Communist Party of Albania 8 November (PKSh 8 Nëntori), the Green Party of Albania (PGJ), the Reorganised Party of Labour of Albania (PPShR) and many other movements: the alliance won the 2013 Albanian parliamentary election, thus returning the Socialists to the government after 12 years . The Socialist Party, now running alone, again won the 2017 election and the 2021 election, winning 74 seats in both of them and is thus currently able to rule Albania alone, although it is externally supported by the Social Democratic Party in parliament. Political positions. In its 2013 party platform, the party has pledged to replace the flat tax with more progressive tax, and also supports universal health care. Party leader Edi Rama has indicated that he supports LGBT rights in Albania. The party is also pro-European, supports the accession of Albania to the European Union, NATO membership, and  considers Kosovo "Albania's main strategic partner and ally".