Trump lifts sanctions on Albanias Berisha, reviving his political clout

Five years after the United States declared former Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha persona non grata over corruption allegations, Washington has granted him a sanctions waiver, raising immediate questions about the political capital he can now wield. On 18 June 2026, Donald Trump signed the waiver, ending a decade-long freeze on Berisha’s U.S. dealings and potentially reshaping Albania’s opposition Democratic Party (PD) ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections. Analysts caution, however, that the move may do little to restore Berisha’s domestic credibility or reverse PD’s slide in the polls .

The waiver comes after Berisha, 78, spent years lobbying European capitals and Washington to lift the 2021 designation, which cited “significant corruption” and barred him from entering the U.S. or conducting financial transactions there. Trump’s decision, confirmed by the State Department on Wednesday, removes the immediate legal obstacle but does not erase the findings of Albanian and international courts that have repeatedly linked Berisha’s governments to embezzlement, vote-rigging, and ties to organized crime. “This is a procedural step, not a vindication,” said Albanian anti-corruption watchdog Altin Hazizaj. “The courts still stand, and the evidence remains.”

Within PD, reactions are muted. Party leader Lulzim Basha, who has struggled to distance the opposition from Berisha’s shadow, told reporters in Tirana that the waiver “opens a new chapter,” but declined to say whether Berisha would seek a return to frontline politics. Polls show PD trailing Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party by 12 points, with only 23% support among voters. Berisha’s return could galvanize the base but risks further alienating younger, reformist members who have pushed for a clean break from the party’s past.

Internationally, the waiver complicates Albania’s EU accession talks, already stalled over rule-of-law concerns. EU diplomats in Brussels noted that Washington’s move “does not alter the substance of our conditionality,” while adding that it could embolden other Balkan leaders facing similar sanctions. In Pristina and Sarajevo, officials privately expressed concern that the waiver sets a precedent for normalizing figures accused of graft.

For Berisha, the waiver is a tactical victory but not a strategic one. His ability to translate restored access into political influence hinges on PD’s ability to rebuild trust—and on Rama’s government not exploiting the optics of a U.S. olive branch to its own advantage. With elections due in mid-2027, the clock is ticking.