22:30 – Euronews Albania’s survey on the election results coincides with figures released by CEC
The survey conducted by Euronews Albania projecting the triumph of the Socialist Party with 48.5% of the votes, coincides with the results published by the Central Election Commission where the Socialists won 48.6%. Furthermore, the DP is at 39.5%, Euronews Albania’s projections estimated that the Democrats would come at 41.5%, a prediction that confirms the seriousness of the weekly four-month-long debates in the studios of Euronews Albania.
21:00 – Counting process towards the end, Socialists lead with over 143.000 votes ahead
Almost 50 hours after tallying the first ballot, the process is almost near its end with votes from 99% of voting stations counted – 5.148 voting centers out of 5.199. Overall, the Socialists have the largest share of the vote (around 760.000 votes), while the DP and its coalition “Alliance for Change” scored around 616.000.
The leader of the Democratic Party Lulzim Basha said that the general polls were “an electoral massacre” in front of a “regime that did everything to break the race”. He said that the SP “engaged criminals to purchase ballots with millions of euros”. During his word, he did not mention whether he will admit to the defeat but asserted that the Democrats gained the trust of over 600.000 citizens.
19:30 – Over 98% of ballots from voting centers have been counted, SP seals 74 parliamentary seats
The counting process is near its end. The Socialists’ advantage gap is widening with 141.000 votes ahead, which have secured 74 parliamentary seats, enough to secure governance without the need to form a coalition.
A brief incident has been reported at a counting station in Durres between former mayor Vangjush Dako and Ferdinant Xhaferaj, candidate of the Democratic Party, right after all ballot boxes had been counted.
18:35 – Rama calls on the opposition to cooperate and melt political divisiveness
Rama called for cooperation from the side of the opposition in order to melt away the divisiveness that according to him are inherited from the communist past. Rama said that “politics have divided us” but on the other hand that “politics can unite us”, adding that he will put all his energies to unite Albanians on his third term.
18:25 – Rama calls on Basha to admit defeat
The leader of the Socialist Party Edi Rama called on his political opponent Lulzim Basha to accept election results. Rama reiterated previous declarations made during the campaign for a “different governance approach in cooperation with the opposition”.
18:00 – Celebrations kick-off at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana as Socialists on track for a third term
With only 100 ballot stations left to be counted, the SP has already kicked off celebrations as thousands of supporters gathered at the main square. The difference by around 140.000 votes gave enough confidence to the Socialists for an early proclamation of victory, becoming the first political force to secure a third term in post-Communist Albania.
17:45 – Kosovo’s Democratic Party leader congratulates Rama for winning the polls
The interim leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, congratulated Edi Rama on election results. On Facebook, he wrote, “Rama’s victory is a victory for Albania”.
17:00 – Basha to meet with regional leaders of the Democratic Party
Lulzim Basha has called for a meeting with political representatives of the Democratic Party across the country. The announcement for a meeting comes just shortly after, Fatbardh Kadilli admitted to the defeat of the Democrats at the general polls and called on the party’s members to demand Basha’s resignation. He also announced that he will be running for the party’s chairmanship.
16:45 – CEC confirms that all ballots have been counted in 10 counties, only 2 left
The head of CEC tweeted that all ballots have been counted in the following counties: Shkodra, Kuksi, Lezha, Dibra, Elbasan, Berat, Fier, Korça, Gjirokastra, and Vlora. Counting continues in Tirana and Durres only.
16: 20 – Vote counting for candidates to begin on Wednesday
The head of CEC Ilirjan Celibashi declared that all Commissions of Electoral Administration Zones (CEAZ) that have finished up counting the votes cast for political parties, must resume counting of ballots for candidates by Wednesday morning.
15:17- 95.3 % of votes counted
The State Commissioner for the Elections, Ilirjan Celibashi gave a statement for the press, where he reported on the preliminary results of the April 25th elections.
Celibashi informed that the counting process is completely wrapped up for political subjects, as well as candidates for 4922 boxes out of the 5199 in total.
14:48- Veliaj: We wont Kavaja and Rrogozhina
The mayor of Tirana and political leader of the electoral district of Tirana, Erion Veliaj stated earlier today that the victory in Kavaja and Rrogozhina is the answer to all of those that attacked him with hate.
President Ilir Meta has recognized the April 25th elections. The head of state emphasized that even though April 25th seemed like an impossible challenge, he is happy that this electoral process was able to serve the democracy and stability of the country.
13:17- Salianji: Democrats never give up
Ervin Salianji stated that he isn’t happy with the result but he is grateful for the votes received by the citizens of Korca, despite the pressure, which according to him was exhorted by the abusive government. He emphasized that the democrats never give up.
13:15- SP is heading for the win of April 25th’s parliamentary elections
According to data from CEC, on a national level 93.9% of boxes have been counted. SP has won 48.65%, DP 39.38% and SMI 6.85%.
12:30– SP wins in Kombinat, Balluku: People need jobs
The Socialist Party has won in the Kombinat area as well. Minister Balluku said that Kombinat is a difficult area, but emphasized that SP has listened to every citizen and given them a solution to their problems.
12:18– SP gets 8 mandates in Durres
The Socialist party has been able to get the third mandate in the electoral district of Durres. SP’s 8th mandate was taken from SMI, which is now left without a mandate in this district. In the meantime, DP has gotten 6 mandates.
12:09- SP gets 74 mandates
While 4843 boxes have been counted out of 5199 in total, the Socialist Party according to the current data, has received 48.63% of votes, which translated to mandates means 74 seats. DP on the other hand has received 59 mandates, SMI 4 and PSD 3.
12:07- DP regains SP’s mandate in Durres
CEC has confirmed the distribution of mandates in the electoral district of Elbasan and until now, SP has won 8 mandates and DP won 6.
11:49– Veliaj’s statement from Vora: Socialist party won after 20 years
The mayor of Tirana and political leader of the Socialist Party in this electoral district, Erion Veliaj was in Vora, when he gave a brief statement regarding SP’s victory in this administrative division.
11:43- SMI keeps its 2017 results in Shkodra
Compared to the past 4 years, SMI has lost around 50% of votes, which translated to seats in parliament will be even more prominent as in several districts despite securing many votes, it wasn’t able to secure a mandate.
11:28- Cipa: Bipolarity was reconfirmed
Analyst Cipa said for Euronews Albania that the reconfirmation of the third term for SP was a surprise. He added that this result keeps Albania’s bipolar politics in power, which will make the new parliament dominated by the two main parties, SP-DP.
11:13- DP gains mandates in 7 districts across the country
When over 90% of ballot boxes have been counted, DP has 39.39% of votes compared to 28.85% in 2017’s elections. Compared to 43 MPs in the last term, in the next parliament, the democrats will have 59 representatives.
10:56- Three observers will be criminally prosecuted in “1 Maji” school
Specialists for the Investigation of Crime in Police Station No. 1 started a criminal proceeding for three observers in VNV.30 ‘’1 Maji’ school. Citizens J.M 26, O. L 29 an A.D 35, are being accused of the criminal offence “Intentional wounding”.
10:42–Damian Gjiknuri: Meta should keep his word and resign
The leader of the campaign in Vlora, Damian Gjiknuri stated that in this district, SP is close to the results of 2017. He called on Meta to resign.
10:04– Rama announces rally for the electoral win
The leader of the Socialist Party and Albania’s PM, Edi Rama announced a rally that will be held tonight for SP’s electoral win, after 90% of votes are now counted.
09:56-Counting process wrap up for electoral district of Lezha
The democratic party has received 4 seats in this district, SP 3 seats, whereas SMI lost its 2017 seat.
09:41- Counting process complete in Shkoder
In Shkoder, the Democratic Party has received 5 mandates, SP 3 mandates, PSD 2 and SMI 1.
09:27- SP announces win in Tirana’s administrative division no. 1
09:04- Electoral districts were counting process is over, distribution of seats for SP, DP and SMI
As 90.1% of votes are counted on a national level, in various districts the counting process is still continuing. The districts where counting has wrapped up are Berat, Kukes, Dibra, Elbasan and Gjirokastra.
08:13- SP gets 9th mandate in Elbasan
At a time when 98.8% of votes in the electoral district of Elbasan have been counted, SP is confirmed as the leading force with 55.12% of votes, followed by SP with 37.1% and SMI with 4.4% of votes.
08:03 – PM Rama: If you work hard, you can make it; there is no short way in life
07:53- SP wins 5th mandate in Berat, Klosi: A great achievement.
The Socialist party has just received its fifth mandate in the electoral district of Berat, after the counting of 277 ballot boxes. Meanwhile, DP has received only 2 mandates and SMI has lost its 2 mandates from 2017.
07:15- National result update until 07:15, mandate distribution for SP, DP and SMI
Official data published by CEC and processed by Euronews Albania shows that until 07:15 a.m. SP continues to lead the race with an overwhelming electoral result on a national level.
07:00- Electoral districts, where there’s still a small number of ballot centers to go
In the electoral district of Tirana, the ballot counting process has been paused in all CEAZs- and it is expected to recommence at 08:00 a.m. Meanwhile, in Shkoder, Elbasan, Kruja, there is still a small number of ballot boxes left to count.
06:30 – National results update until 06:20, distribution of mandates for SP, DP and SMI
05:00 – 86.5% of ballots counted
The counting process continues however at a much slower pace. The Central Election Commission announced that 86.5% of votes have been counted. The Socialist Party is has won the largest share of the votes, counting over 122.000 more ballots than the Democratic Party.
04:40 – Counting process concludes as all ballots counted in Gjirokastra, how are mandates to be shared
Gjirokastra is the first county in southern Albania to have concluded the counting process. Based on official data released by the Central Election Commission after counting all ballot boxes from 207 voting stations, SP won the largest share of the vote with 53.8%, while the DP secured 30.7%.
04:00 – National results 4 AM update
According to the Central Election Commission, the Socialist Party has secured so far 73 parliamentary seats, the Democratic Party 59, Socialist Movement for Integration 5, and the Social Democrats 3.
03:16 – 84% of votes counted, Socialists’ advantage gap widens
84% of ballots have been counted, with the Socialist Party holding the widest lead against its political opponents.
02:30 – SP triumphant in Saranda, candidates Denaj and Zhupa shake hands
As counting wrapped up in Saranda, the two candidates running in the district, namely Anila Denaj from the SP and Ina Zhupa from the DP, settled their differences and reached out to one another with a handshake. SP was proclaimed the winner with a 2.300 vote difference.
02:00 – Counting suspended at Vasil Shanto station in Tirana, to resume in the morning
As staff complained of fatigue, counting at the Vasil Shanto station has been suspended for about 6 hours.
01:40 – Counting continues across the country, only two counties have announced official results
With 80.8% of voting centers counted, SP is the frontrunner, by an additional 110.000 ballots, ahead of the DP. Counting has wrapped in the county of Kukes and Dibra, both won by the DP, respectively with 62.26% and 45.13% of the votes. However, the SP was still able to secure 3 mandates in these two counties.
01:00 – All votes counted in the district of Dibra, DP wins by a small margin
The Democratic Party swept nearly 1.000 more votes winning by a small margin in the district of Dibra. This victory secured them 3 parliamentary seats, while the other 2 will be going to the SP who ranked in second. Click here to check out the interactive map.
The head of CEC Ilirjan Celibashi said that all authorizations for observers employed at the counting center where the violent incident erupted have been canceled and will be replaced with new ones.
23:15 – Counting suspended following the violent incident that erupted at the counting station in Tirana
The counting process has been suspended after the violent incident recorded in Tirana. MP candidate Oriola Pampuri said that “unidentified observers” bullied and them beat one an observer from the Democratic Party and his relative.
23:00 – Violent altercation at a counting station in Tirana
A violent brawl erupted in one of the counting stations in Tirana. The police have detained at least 7 people.
22:35 – CEC fines members from 18 counting centers as they did not tally over 50% of the votes
The spokesperson of CEC, Drilona Hoxhaj, announced that the Central Election Commission has fined 18 Commissions of Electoral Administration Zones (CEAZ) as counters did not succeed in counting over 50% of the votes. The fine is approximately €25.
22:25 – Kavaja resumes counting process
After an 8-hour break, the counting process resumed in Kavaja. Until now, 44% of voting stations have been counted with the SP slightly ahead (47.14%) followed by DP (44.25%)
22:00 – Ballots from over 72% voting stations counted, SP remains on the lead
As ballots from 72% of voting stations have been counted, the SP remains the frontrunner with 48.84%, followed by the DP 39.21% and SMI 6.82%. Click here to check out the interactive map.
21:30 – Vote-counting finishes in Malesia e Madhe, DP wins
The counting of votes in Malesia e Madhe No.1 center has finished, resulting in a Democratic Party win. The Socialist Party received 6,521 votes, Democratic Party 7,090, Social-Democratic Party 1,479, Socialist Movement for Integration 513 votes.
21:00 – DP expects the result to change, Alfred Rushaj: There will be surprises
The Democratic Party expects the result to change as votes are still counted across the nation.
MP candidate, Alfred Rushaj, said in a press conference that as the process continues “there will be surprises”, According to him, the DP will bounce back.
20:15 – All ballots counted in the county of Kukes, Democratic Party wins 2 mandates
The county of Kukes has finished counting the ballots and proclaimed the Democrats, and it coalition, as the winners with 62.26% of the votes, and SMI with 0.16%. This implies that the DP will have one parliamentary term and the SP one. Click here to check out the interactive map.
19:45 – Veliaj appeals to the opposition to refrain from impeding the ballot counting process
The Socialist Party’s political representative for Tirana, Erion Veliaj, said that allegations made by the Democratic Party over preferential counting are untrue. He claimed that the SP will win in all administrative units and called on counters to proceed with the process without further delays.
19:30 – Counting finished in Delvina, SP comes in as main force
After all votes were counted in Delvina, the Socialist Party came in as the winner with 2.631 votes, the Democratic Party received 1.693 votes, and SMI 547.
19:10 – Incident reported at a ballot counting center in Vlora
A conflict arose from representatives of the main political parties, namely SP, DP SMI at one of the ballots counting centers in the city of Vlora. Representatives from the SMI called foul play as a number of ballots, which were at first considered invalid, were then credited to the Socialist Party.
19:00 – Head of CEC says counting stalled due to political interferences
During a press conference, the State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi admitted that the job of counters became more difficult during the day. He added that in the majority of cases where problems were reported they came as a result of candidates trying to interfere in the process.
18:45 – Ambassador Kim expects counting to continue more quickly
US Ambassador Yuri Kim said on Euronews Albania that Albanian voters have done their part and that they are now “anticipating the final result’, adding that she hopes that the counting process continues more quickly.
18:40 – Ambassador Kim comments on Tom Doshi’s resignation on Euronews Albania
The Ambassador of the United States to Albania commented on Tom Doshi’s decision to withdraw from the electoral race. Euronews Albania journalist asked Ambassador Kim about her stance following the recent move, to which she responded that her stance remains the same with earlier declarations.
18:00 – SP still on a lead as 59.2% of ballot centers counted
With 59.2% of ballot centers counted (3.083 out of 5.199) SP continues to be the frontrunner on a national scale with 58.85%, followed by the DP and its coalition at 39.29% and SMI at 6.91%.
17:45 – Self-Determination’s candidate raises doubts over vote meddling in Tepelena
Kreshnik Merxhani, the candidate of Self-Determination in Albania running for Tepelena, posted a video on Facebook casting doubts over around 1000 votes in the county of Gjirokastra which may have been intentionally rendered invalid from counters affiliated with political parties. The case on point allegedly occurred at a ballot counting center in Tepelena.
17:19 – Ballot counting process completed for three municipalities in Elbasan. SP winning force
The counting has been completed in the municipalities of Librazhd, Cërrik and Belsh in Elbasan region. SP leads these municipalities.
17:15 – 55.6% of ballot boxes are counted on national level
So far, 2,928 ballot boxes have been counted, 56.3% of the total number of ballot boxes on national level. Meanwhile, 2,271 ballot boxes are to be counted out of 5,199 in total. The Socialist Party leads with 48.84%, DP with 39.2 and SMI with 7.09%.
16:52- 161 ballot boxes counted in Durres, SP is ahead with 26.434 votes
26.434 votes have been counted in favor of SP, while the Democratic Party count 20,000 votes. 3,154 votes have until now gone to the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI).
16:32- Mark Marku on elections: DP won in this unequal fight
MP’s candidate of Democrats, Mark Marku in a press release stated that DP is expecting its fourth mandate in Lezha region. Mark Marku said that election results have been one of the most overwhelming results DP has achieved in Mirdita.
16:28- Preliminary results until 16:00 p.m., SP leads the race on national level
Based on CEC data, until 16:00 p.m the Socialist Party continues to lead the race, on the national level. After the counting of 2.699 ballot boxes, SP received 48.79% of the votës, DP 39.28% and SMI 7.05%.
15:46- Preliminary results, Tabaku: After 12 years, we have broken SP’s bastion in division no. 2
DP’s candidate for MP in Tirana, Jorida Tabaku has given a statement to the media, saying that taking into consideration the votes counted until now in the administrative division no. 2, the opposition coalition has broken a stronghold that has supported SP for the past 12 years.
15:30 – OSCE-ODIHR: Allegations of vote-buying remain a concern in Albania
Azay Guliyev, special coordinator and short-term head of OSCE election mission in Albania, said that the CEC managed to fulfill most of its obligations. He stressed that there have been allegations of vote-buying, which continues to be a widespread problem.
15:14 – Reverse of election results in Klos municipality, DP in the lead
The ballot counting has concluded in the municipality of Klos in Diber region, bringing the victory of the democratic party. DP has won in this municipality by getting 36 more votes than Socialist Party. DP received 3,738 votes, while the SP received 3,702 votes.
15:01- Yuri Kim: Political leaders should calmly and patiently await the results
US ambassador to Albania, Yuri Kim hold a press statement at CEAZ no. 39, where she called on candidates and political leaders to wait calmly and patiently for the end results.
14:37- Grida Duma in Kavaja: This is when the countdown to victory starts
DP’s candidate for MP, Grida Duma was in Kavaja, when she stated that the countdown to victory begins now. According to her, there is an increase of DP voters from 30 to 50 %.
14:45- 324 boxes counted in Tirana; SP leads with 49.9%
324 boxes have been counted in the electoral district of Tirana, out of the total 1,243, until now, the Socialist Party is heading the race.
13:37- 31,870 invalid votes as of now, Elbasan leads list
The number of invalid votes so far is 31,870 votes. Elbasan is currently the electoral district with the highest number of invalid votes, with 4,892 invalid votes, followed by Fier with 4,159 and the third is Tirana with 4,010 confirmed invalid votes.
13:18- ‘DP will get 5 mandates in Korca’, Salianji: Yesterday’s incident provoked by SP
DP’s candidate for MP, Ervin Salianji said that so far DP and opposition coalition together with the SMI is about 2000 votes ahead of SP in Korca.
13:07– Results are in for the municipality of Puka, SP winning force
Socialist party wins in Puka, with 2820 votes. The Democratic Party has received 2216 votes, while SMI 569.
13:05– Soreca calls to political parties do not rush to conclusions
EU delegation ambassador, Luigi Soreca, called on political parties and Albanians not to come to conclusions without counting all the votes.
13:00- British Ambassador in Vlora: Let’s give space to commissioners to do their job
British Ambassador Duncan Norman attended the counting in Vlora today. He said that it is important to give space to the commissioners in order to do their job.
12:46- Ballot counting complete in Tropoja, DP leading force
The counting process has ended in Tropoja. The Democratic Party won with 6443 votes, while the Socialist Party received 3094 votes.
12:36- 93 ballot boxes counted so far in Lezha. DP leads with over 45%
Until now, 93 ballot boxes out of 249 in total have been counted in Lezha, Democratic Party leads with 45%.
12:24- Over 30 thousand votes turned out to be invalid, a significant increase compared to 2017
1,961 ballot boxes were counted out of a total of 5,199. The invalid votes in total are 30 thousand. The number of ballots that were found to be invalid is over 5%
12:39- Around 40% of votes counted in Shkoder, DP leads with 42.8%
In Shkodra, the Democratic Party leads with 42.8% of the vote, followed by the Socialist Party with 30.72% of the vote and the SMI with 10.86%.
12:13- Basha: We are looking at a heavy defeat for SP, DP is rising
During a statement from the headquarters of DP, the leader of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha said that the Socialist Party is experiencing a heavy defeat in these elections. DP’s leader emphasized that the ballot stations that are specifically chosen for counting, are left-wing strongholds.
12:03- 164 boxes counted in Korca, SP leads with 47%
After the counting of 164 ballot boxes in Korca, Socialist Party is in the lead with 47%. The Democratic Party and its allies until now have received 41% of votes, whereas SMI has received 7.6%.
11:30- Ballot counted in Polican. SP the winning force
In Poliçan, PS won with 3871 votes, 65.97%. DP received 1045 votes, 17.81% and SMI 864 votes, 15.72%.
11:19- Tom Doshi explains reasons behind the renunciation of his mandate
The leader of the Social-Democratic Party, Tom Doshi has come out with a statement for the press, where he has spoken on the reasons that led him to give up on his mandate as MP.
11:14– Belind Kellici: We have recuperated 5200 votes in CEAZ no. 36 in Kombinat
Democratic Party MP candidate of Tirana, Belind Këlliçi during a press statement said that DP has received 5200 votes so far which demonstrates an increase.
11:00- 220 ballot boxes counted in Vlora. SP leads 61.56% of votes
In Vlora district, 220 ballot boxes have been counted out of 445 in total. SP leads with 61.65% of the votes, DP has received 28.24%, and SMI 8.53%.
10:57- Over 40% of votes in Elbasan counted, SP in the lead with 55%
As 40% of votes are counted in the electoral district of Elbasan, SP currently leads with 55% of votes. DP coalition until now received around 36% of votes whereas SMI 5%.
10:56- Ballot counting process, Yuri Kim: Let’s patiently wait for the results
US ambassador Yuri Kim, through a post on her social media network, has stated that ‘we need to be patient until the end of the counting process”.
10:26- Tabaku: In Tirana’s administrative division no. 10, DP saw an incline of 30%
DP’s candidate for MP, Jorida Tabaku stated that the Democratic Party in Tirana’s administrative division no. 10, saw a rise by 30% whereas the Socialist Party lost 200 votes.
10:16- Veliaj: PS broke the record by winning over 65 percent in Bërzhitë
Tirana Mayor, Erion Veliaj has stated that Socialist Party has secured a deep victory in Bërzhita area which has been traditionally right-wing.
09:59- Ballot counting process in municipality of Has is complete, DP leading force
Ballot counting for political entities concluded while the counting for candidates will start at 14:00. 7528 citizens voted in total. DP received 4776 votes, SP 2671 votes. During the counting, 488 ballots were invalid.
09:43- Erion Veliaj salutes the victory of SP in administrative division no. 10
In a statement for the press, the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj expressed his delight for the victory of SP in administrative division no. 10.
09:39- President Meta: Let’s be patient until the official results are in
The President of the country, Ilir Meta has called citizens to stay patient until the end results of this electoral process are finally published.
09:28- How DP, SP and SMI rank after the counting of 1.595 ballot boxes
The counting process of ballots is continuing in 12 electoral districts across the country. Based on data published by CEC and processed by Euronews Albania, until 09:00 a.m. the Socialist Party is at the forefront of the electoral race on a national level.
09:27- Ballot counting process wraps up in Kelcyra and Konispol, SP in the lead
Gjirokaster, SP is the winning force with 51.30% of votes, the DP has received 31.37% and the SMI 14.92% of votes. Counting has also finished in the municipality of Konispol, part of the district of Vlora. SP has received 56.97% of votes, the DP, 34.53% and SMI, 5.94%.
08:44- Ballot counting wraps up in Himara, SP in the lead with 58%
The Socialist Party has received over 58% of votes in Himara, as is reported by the CEAZ no. 88. The Democratic Party has received almost half of the votes at 31%.
08:38- Tom Doshi has resigned from running for MP
Tom Doshi officially resigns. Ilirjan Celibashi has confirmed that a request by the leader of PSD, Tom Doshi to step down from his candidature has been submitted to CEC. Celibashi: Request still hasn’t been processed, we’ll stick to Electoral Code.
08:26- Electronic voting, results published for administrative division no. 10, in Tirana
A pilot project intended to lay the ground for the possible future use of electronic voting, Tirana’s administrative division no. 10 has just published its results of electronic voting.
07:36- Preliminary results of counting for northern Albania until 07:00
07:20- Preliminary results for central Albania until 07:00 a.m.
Data published by CEC and processed by Euronews Albania demonstrate that until 07:00 this morning, just like the southern districts, in central Albania the force on the lead currently is the Socialist Party (SP).
07:04- Results of ballot counting for southern Albania, until 07:00 a.m.
In regards to the southern administrative divisions in the country, preliminary data reported by CEC and processed by Euronews Albania show that until 07:00 this morning, SP is in the lead.
06:41- Ballot counting continues problem-free for Elbasan, Lezha, Dibra; invalid votes also reported
The ballot counting process is carrying on smoothly in all administrative divisions across Albania. Journalist Aida Topalli reports from Elbasan that until now, no problems have been exhibited in terms of the counting process, but a considerable number of votes have been deemed invalid, in almost every ballot box, at least 10 ballots have been considered invalid.
05:00- Results of counting in 12 counties, which party leads
The counting process is currently continuing in 12 counties across the country. Based on data provided by CEC and processed by Euronews Albania, until 05:00 a.m., it seems that the Socialist Party until now continues to lead on a national level.
03:40- Counting begins in Durres, eight hours after polls closed
Eight hours after polls officially closed in Durres, the counting process began at around 3 AM. According to figures released by CEC, as of 03:35 AM, the Socialist Party has received 418 votes (65.52%), and 193 votes for the Democratic Party (30.25%).
02:20 – Results of ballots counted from Albania’s main central districts
Data released by the Central Election Commission and analyzed by Euronews Albania for the first two hours of the counting procedures point out that the Socialists are on a lead in the main central districts.
02:15 -Results of ballots counted from Albania’s main northern districts
Apart from the district of Shkodra where the SP is on a lead, the Democrats are the forefront in the districts of Kukes, Lezha and Dibra.
02:10 – Results of ballots counted from Albania’s main southern districts
With counting going on for two hours, several administrative zones have reported their results near CEC while the SP seems to be on a narrow lead.
02:00 – Edi Paloka convinced about DP being in advantage: A major victory for Durres
The political leader of the Democratic Party for the county of Durres, Edi Paloka, said that DP’s victory will be affirmed after ballots are counted.
“We just concluded the analysis of our projections for the district of Durres and I want to say that this is a major victory for Durres. It is a major victory for Albania. It is time to visualize and project our future”, he said.
01:15 – EU Ambassador Soreca: We welcome the call by party leaders for patience
One hour past midnight, the head of the EU delegation to Albania, Luigi Soreca, visited the counting center at the National Museum in Tirana and reiterated his expectations that the process will be characterized by a high level of integrity and responsibility.
01:00 – US Ambassador and head of CEC visit polling station, urge for integrity in vote counting
US Ambassador Yuri Kim, accompanied by the head of CEC Ilirjan Celibashi, visited a polling station in Tirana, about 5 hours after the voting process closed, and while counting teams are preparing to start operations.
“We will closely follow the process. Albanian voters have done their job. The responsibility now lies with the counting teams to do their job with integrity. And I believe they will do so,” Kim stated.
00:45 – All votes counted in Albania’s smallest municipality
In almost two hours, the seven ballot boxes of Albania’s tiniest municipality, located in the District of Korça and with a dominant ethnic Macedonian majority, have already been counted, and results published at the official CEC webpage.
According to official figures, the Socialist Party received 868 votes, while 473 went to the Democrats, and 168 to the Socialist Movement for Integration.
00:30 – Vote counting process begins in Tirana
Tirana has now officially begun counting ballots, starting off with the boxes from the elementary school “Vasil Shanto” voting center, as well as the neighborhood of Kombinat.
00:20 Live results on Euronews Albania’s application
To find out the latest results visit Euronews Albania’s application bringing live updates from every district in real-time, including a comparison with 2017 elections and the potential number of mandates that will go to each party.
00:10 – Vote counting process kicks off in several ballot counting centers across the country
The vote-counting process has officially kicked off in several other areas, including Mirdita, Peshkopi, Puka, Memaliaj, Himara, Fier, Selenica, Gjirokastra, etc. The first ballot boxes have already been counted, starting off at first with votes marked for the political subjects, then candidates.
23:00 – CEC releases first nationwide results
At around 11 PM, the Central Election Commission released the preliminary nationwide results of the April 25 elections.
The chart published on the official page of CEC shows the SP as the frontrunner with 46.27% of the votes, followed by the DP at 44.71% and SMI with 6.67%.
22:25 – First irregular box marked in Durres
Unused ballot papers were not put inside the ballot box. The irregularity was noticed at one of the counting stations in Ishem, a former municipality of the District of Durres.
22:20 – First ballot box counted
The Municipality of Pustec has concluded the counting of the first ballot box resulting in 118 votes for the SP, 114 for the DP, and 17 for the SMI.
22:00 – Euronews Albania’s Exit Poll conducted in cooperation with MRB massively cited on international medias
The Exit Poll conducted by Euronews Albania and MRB is making headlines on the most prestigious international media making a reference to projections of the electoral results in Albania.
21:30 Voting officially begins at Municipality of Pustec
The Municipality of Pustec has started counting the ballots, officially marking the beginning of the vote-counting process in the country. Sources confirm for Euronews Albania that counting at the municipalities of Has and Tropoja is officially set to begin at 10 PM and 11 PM respectively.
21:20 – Erion Veliaj: Over 72 mandates across the country
The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, said during a press conference that SP’s nationwide projections depict the ruling party as the frontrunner with 72 mandates.
21:12 State Commissioner: Nobody knows who won, political leaders must show self-restraint
The State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi called on political parties to show self-restraint as according to him nobody knows who the election winner is.
21:10 National Exit Poll | SP with 68-72 mandates, DP with 60-64
Euronews Albania’s Exit Poll, conducted in collaboration with MRB company, indicates a tight race between the Socialist Party and the opposition.
In terms of vote distribution, the SP scored 43.3-47.5%, and the DP has 40-44% of the votes.
21:00 – Basha: A clear victory for the Albanian people, a clear victory for “Alliance for a Change”
The leader of the Democratic Party Lulzim Basha said during a press conference that today’s results will be a clear victory for “the Albanian people and the Alliance for a Change”, the coalition formed by several opposition forces.
Albanian PM and leader of the Socialist Party Edi Rama called for “self-restraint” during a press conference from the party’s headquarters and asserted that the main thing is for the country to win, and not simply the party that will come in first at the elections.
20:10 – President Meta: Responsibility now falls on vote-counting teams, no vote to be altered
President Meta took it on social media to demand that not a single vote can be allowed to be altered. He said that now it is up to counting teams to conclude the entire process successfully.
19:30 – Delivery of ballot boxes to Local Election Commission (KZAZ) begins
As the voting process wrapped up in the majority of the country’s district, ballot boxes are now being delivered to Counting Stations. Shkodra, Elbasan, and Fier were among the first to begin sending out ballot boxes for the counting process.
