Legality Movement Party
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 Albania |
The Legality Movement Party (Albanian: Partia Lëvizja e Legalitetit, abbr. PLL) is a monarchist political party in Albania led by Shpetim Axhami. It supports the restoration of the Albanian monarchy under the House of Zogu, with the house's current head Prince Leka crowned as king. The party has also been characterised as conservative and nationalist.
The PLL claims a direct continuity with the original Legality Movement active during World War II, as its founding members were former Legality Movement members or supporters. Exiled members of the Legality Movement held their first congress in exile in 1962, and the party was formed in 1992 after the fall of communism in Albania.
The party has seen minor electoral success since contesting its first election in 1996, but it has largely remained outside of parliament for most of its history.
History
The PLL traces its roots back to the Legality Movement (1943–1944), a royalist political and paramilitary organisation active during World War II which sought to restore the House of Zogu to the Albanian throne. The 1924 in the PLL's logo is a reference to the 24 December 1924 counter-revolution of Zog I, which restored the king to his throne and deposed the government installed by the June Revolution earlier that year.
Former members of the Legality Movement held their first "congress in exile" from 24 to 25 November 1962, at the Sheraton-Atlantic Hotel in New York City, United States. They held nine more congresses in exile before the fall of communism in Albania and the legalisation of opposition parties in the country. Those former members and their supporters subsequently registered the Legality Movement Party as a political party on 20 February 1992.
The party contested its first parliamentary election in 1996, receiving 2.07 percent of the popular vote and no seats. In early elections held the following year, the party garnered 3.25 percent of the popular vote and won two seats.
In the 2001 parliamentary election, the PLL was part of the Union for Victory electoral coalition, which received 37% of the popular vote and won 46 seats.
The party returned to parliament with the election of one deputy in 2021. It joined the Alliance for a Great Albania electoral coalition in the lead up to the 2025 parliamentary election.
Ideology and program
The PLL has been described as conservative, monarchist, and nationalist. A royalist party, the PLL advocates the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Albania with Prince Leka (not to be confused with his father, Crown Prince Leka), the current head of the House of Zogu, crowned as King of the Albanians. However, the party's program states that this should be done only if a majority of Albanians vote for it in a referendum on the republic. Nonetheless, Cas Mudde, a Dutch political scientist specialising in political extremism and populism in Europe, describes the PLL as an "extreme-right monarchist party".
In its program, the party emphasises the rule of law, democratic institutions, and civil liberties, particularly freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. It supports the rights of ethnic minorities in Albania "on equal and reciprocal terms", the autonomy of trade unions, and the integration of the Albanian diaspora into domestic politics and society. The PLL maintains a strong anti-communist stance and seeks the legal recognition and support of former political prisoners of the socialist era. The party also supports a secular state.
Leadership
The PLL is chaired by Shpetim Axhami, a former city councillor and educator during the 1990s and 2000s.
International relations
The PLL is a member of the International Monarchist Conference.