76 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 decision to set up an ombudsman office has been made and 3) a consolidation and/or rehabilitation phase, when an established institution typically needs to get out of a period of stagnation. Albania Until 1991, Albania was an isolated dictatorship. The process which was to result in democracy was tumultuous and finally collapsed in 1997. The country literally fell apart within a few days – at every level, from police and central authorities down to schools and the smallest local administrative authorities. Many will remember the pictures on television from Tirana, Vlora and other Albanian cities, where aggressive and desperate citizens had armed themselves with weapons stolen from army depots. In 1998, order and peace began to be restored to society and a new constitution came into force the same year. The constitution contained provisions on the ­establishment of an ombudsman office, Avocati i Popullit – the people’s advocate. In June 1999, the Danish Embassy in Tirana signed a five-year collaboration agreement with the Albanian government. The purpose of the programme was to strengthen the independence and impact of Avocati i Popullit in a democratically very fragile society. The Danish Ombudsman was involved in the project and visited his newly elected colleague, Ermir Dobjani, for the first time in September 2000. In December 2009, Avocati i Popullit celebrated its 10th anniversary in Tirana and the Danish Ombudsman and his employees from the project were invited together with other key institutions and persons from the establishment phase, including the former project leader from the Danish Embassy. After ten years of extensive and valued work in Albania, there were again signs of political unrest and concern. An ombudsman was to be elected in February 2010 and much suggested that there would again be problems in the political system. This turned out to be true. The result was that a new ombudsman was not elected until the following year and the institution suffered from cuts and loss of prestige and influence for a long period. In spring 2011, some of the Danish Ombudsman’s employees travelled to Tirana, where they found an office which in the absence of an ombudsman was led by a very competent and committed deputy ombudsman. After their visit to Tirana, the Danish Ombudsman’s employees contacted the Neighbourhood