THE ALBANIAN PUBLIC'S TRUST IN SECURITY: STUMBLING BLOCKS TO EU NEGOTIATIONS Albania underwent a major parliamentary crisis in 2019 when almost the entirety of the members of parliament representing the opposition decided to relinquish their legislative mandates. The opposition took to the streets in daily protests demanding that the prime minister resign and calling for a snap election. Such action should theoretically impede the government from being able to vote on several laws that were required to be passed concerning guidelines by the EU Commission and the EU parliament. However, the parliament decided to fill the empty mandates of the opposition with unelected candidates from the electoral lists of the opposition parties in the 2017 general elections(much to the chagrin of the opposition parties). This element is important to stress due to claims by the opposition parties that the parliament is illegitimate and is fully controlled by the government. 4 3. The Control and Supervisory Bodies The executive, the legislative, and the judiciary institutions are all involved in the control and supervisory processes of the security sector in Albania. The parliament has also established several independent institutions and commissions that serve to control the passing and implementation of laws. 3.1. 3.2. Executive The executive offices which have managing, supervising, controlling, and commanding duties and responsibilities with regards to security institutions, are the president, the prime minister and the CoM, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Finances and the Economy, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Defense, the Minister for Tourism and the Environment. The Prosecutor General is an institution that is intertwined in its functionality between the judiciary and the executive, as it directs and manages the activities of the judicial police. See table 1. Prosecutor General President Prime Minister/ Council of Ministers MoD MoI MoE&F MoT&E MoJ General Prosecution Armed Forces Judicial Police Military Intelligence Service Military Police State Police General Directorate of Taxation National Agency of the Environment General Directorate of Prisons Republican Guard Service of Internal Control General Directorate of Customs General Directorate for National Agency of Protected Zones State Inspectorate Bailiff Service Probation Service 4 Article on the opposition leader proclaiming the parliament to be a rubber stamp of the government: https://www.vizionplus.tv/pd-parlamenti-duhet-shperndare-nje-ore-e-me-pare/ 12