Leader Menduh Thaçi Political position Right-wing | Founded June 1997 European affiliation None | |
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Ideology Albanian nationalism
Populism
Minority rights International affiliation International Democrat Union (observer) | ||
The Democratic Party of Albanians (Albanian: Partia Demokratike Shqiptare; Macedonian: Демократска партија на Албанците, Demokratska Partija na Albancite) or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians (PDPA) and the People's Democratic Party (NDP) which took place in June 1997. The former party was established in 1994 after some radical members of the Party for Democratic Prosperity, led by Menduh Thaçi and Arbën Xhaferi, left the PDP and the latter party was founded in August 1990 as a more radical opponent of the PDP.
At the 2002 legislative elections, the party won 5.2% of the popular vote and 7 out of 120 seats. The party lost its status as a government party due to the defeat of the VMRO-DPMNE. At the 2006 parliamentary elections, the party increased its support, winning 7.5% of the vote and 11 seats. After the elections the DPA entered the government coalition led by the VMRO-DPMNE. DPA returned to opposition after the 2008 legislative early election.
In the 2011 parliamentary election, DPA received 5.9% of the popular vote, winning 8 seats. This is a loss of 3 seats from the previous election.