It appears that the “Opportunity” Party has secured its second parliamentary mandate in Tirana, although some diaspora votes remain to be counted.

Speaking about the development, party leader Agron Shehaj said he would comment further once the result is official, but noted that the second mandate is essentially secured—barring any major surprises.

“The votes from Greece have not yet been counted. I don’t believe there will be a major surprise that changes the outcome. I’ll comment on the second mandate once the counting is officially concluded. When we have the final result, we’ll speak,” Shehaj stated.

When asked whether he made a mistake by not joining forces with Adriatik Lapaj and Arlind Qori to form a stronger opposition, Shehaj said such a coalition would have compromised the identity of the “Opportunity” Party by turning it into a merger, blurring the individual value of each group.

“We knew from the start that the system is challenging for small parties. It would have meant dissolving parties into one, whereas we created a new party to avoid that—otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to measure our own weight,” he said.

Shehaj added that he would give a full statement after the vote counting is officially completed.