On 30 June Albania held elections for mayors and local councils across its 61 municipalities. With the two main opposition parties boycotting the vote, voters faced little or no meaningful choice. Only a fifth of the electorate turned out. Rather than help consolidate the country’s pro-democratic reform efforts, the elections appear to have perpetuated the political and constitutional crisis. Were the international community’s concerns that postposed elections would set a dangerous precedent grounded? Did the worries about the fate of the judicial reform justify the holding of what many commentators described as a deeply flawed vote? What lessons can be drawn from the Albanian democracy dilemma?