At the height of the Albanian crisis in March 1997, when political parties established the National Reconciliation Government, it was agreed to organise a referendum and hold general elections to decide how the republic should be governed.
Na vrhuncu albanske krize u martu 1997, kada su političke partije osnovale vladu nacionalnog pomirenja, postignuta je saglasnost da se organizuje referendum i održe opšti izbori da bi se donela odluka o obliku vladavine.