Constituent Assembly elections were held in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

in November and December 1923, with the second round taking place on 27 December.

Background

During 1923 tensions had been building between religious groups, with Christians unhappy at former Ottoman officials continuing to take advantage of their position and taxes from the wealthier Christian parts of the country subsidising a government led by the Muslim

Ahmet Zogu Zog I ( sq, Naltmadhnija e tij Zogu I, Mbreti i Shqiptarëve, ; 8 October 18959 April 1961), born Ahmed Muhtar bey Zogolli, taking the name Ahmet Zogu in 1922, was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's y ...

.Miranda Vickers (2011)
The Albanians: A Modern History
', pp73–74 Following several political assassinations, in August Zogu agreed to a Constituent Assembly being elected later in the year.

Results

Zogu's faction won 44 seats and opposition candidates 39. The 19 independent candidates, most of whom were conservative, gave their support to Zogu, allowing him to form a government.Robert Clegg Austin (2012)
Founding a Balkan State: Albania's Experiment with Democracy, 1920-1925
', University of Toronto Press, pp36–37 However, opposition parties alleged there had been electoral fraud, claiming that their strong performance in the first round of voting should have led to them winning a majority in the second round. The ''Dielli'' newspaper reported that the government had terrorised the electors into voting for their candidates.

Aftermath

The new parliament convened for the first time on 21 January 1924.13. Albania (1913-present)
University of Central Arkansas Although Zogu was narrowly re-elected as Prime Minister, he resigned two weeks later, allowing

Shefqet Vërlaci Shefqet bey Vërlaci (; 15 December 1877, Elbasan, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 21 July 1946, Zürich, Switzerland), also known as Shevket Verlaci, was an Albanian politician and wealthy landowner. Biography In 1922, Vërlaci was the b ...

to become head of government.

References

{{Albanian elections Parliamentary elections in Albania 1923 in Albania