German media outlet Deutsche Welle has dedicated a report to Albania’s May 11 elections, noting that with the majority of votes counted, Prime Minister Edi Rama is firmly on track for a fourth term in office.
Full Article Summary:
Albania’s Socialists, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, appear to have secured a clear victory.
While Rama has pledged European Union membership within five years, the opposition has questioned whether the country is truly ready for such a step.
Preliminary results announced on Tuesday show a decisive win for the Socialist Party of Albania, placing Rama on course for a fourth consecutive term.
The current government received support from voters who back the country’s EU integration efforts and endorse Rama’s bid to continue leading the country.
How are the results shaping up?
With around 96% of votes counted, Rama’s Socialists have secured 52.09% of the vote, translating to 82 out of 140 seats in Parliament.
The coalition led by Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party has obtained 34.44%, or 52 seats. Three smaller parties are projected to take the remaining seats.
The Central Election Commission has stated that final results will be announced within 48 hours of the close of voting.
Rama’s party has pledged to achieve EU membership within five years — a goal that Berisha and other conservatives argue Albania is not yet ready to meet.
What do the results mean for Parliament?
With the current numbers, Albania’s left-wing Socialists would be able to govern alone. Preliminary voter turnout on Sunday stood at 42.21%, about 4% lower than the previous elections.
The Central Election Commission emphasized that, by law, the final results must be announced within 48 hours of the vote.
However, the timeline could be delayed after the opposition demanded that around 53,000 diaspora votes from Greece not be counted, alleging they were manipulated.
This was the first election in which diaspora voters could participate via postal ballots.
Roughly 195,000 people submitted votes by mail.
Eligible voters both inside and outside Albania were electing 140 members of Parliament for a four-year term.
Due to massive emigration, Albania’s population stands at 2.4 million, yet there are approximately 3.7 million registered voters.
