Ballot boxes are checked following the end of the voting procedure in Albania’s parliamentary election after a boisterous campaign dominated by the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term, in Tirana, Albania, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
Ballot boxes are carried following the end of the voting procedure in Albania’s parliamentary election after a boisterous campaign dominated by the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term, in Tirana, Albania, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
Albanian preliminary election results show Socialists ahead
TIRANA, Albania (AP) 鈥 Preliminary results in Albania鈥檚 parliamentary election on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead, with voters supporting the country鈥檚 uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama鈥檚 bid for a fourth term.
Ballot boxes are checked following the end of the voting procedure in Albania’s parliamentary election after a boisterous campaign dominated by the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term, in Tirana, Albania, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
TIRANA, Albania (AP) 鈥 Preliminary results in Albania鈥檚 parliamentary election on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead, with voters supporting the country鈥檚 uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama鈥檚 bid for a fourth term.
With a quarter of the votes counted, Rama’s left-wing Socialists have 53% of the votes, followed by the opposition center-right Democratic Party-led coalition of Sali Berisha with 35%.
With those numbers the Socialists will get the required 71 seats to govern alone and likely even more than the previous mandate.
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Preliminary turnout Sunday was almost 42.16%, or 4% lower than four years ago.
About 3.7 million eligible voters in Albania and abroad voted to elect 140 lawmakers for a four-year mandate in the Balkan nation. Because of mass emigration, the country of 2.8 million people has about 3.7 million eligible voters. For the first time, those in the diaspora, about 191,000, could vote and cast their ballots by mail.
Ilirjan Celibashi, the head of the Central Election Commission, said that was largely peaceful, with some irregularities involving candidates and some of their supporters that would not negatively impact the results.
鈥淔or the most part, excluding some sporadic cases, the process has been in line with the rules and standards,鈥 he said Sunday evening after the voting ended.
Rama鈥檚 Socialist Party says it can deliver in five years 鈥 end the negotiations until 2027 and wait for approval from each of the EU鈥檚 27 member countries until 2030 鈥 which is an ambitious pledge while battling conservative opponents with public recriminations and competing promises of pay hikes.
Rama, 60, who secured the start of EU membership , highlighted achievements in infrastructure and justice reform in his campaign.
The Socialists say they will accelerate a , and increase foreign visitors from 10 million arrivals in 2024 to 30 million by 2030, by diversifying destinations through the expansion of infrastructure projects. Rama also has pledged pension and pay hikes.
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Rama鈥檚 main challenger is , 80, a former president and prime minister, who argues that Albania still isn鈥檛 ready for EU membership.
Berisha held an electoral campaign resembling that of U.S. President Donald Trump, also hiring one of his top campaign consultants.
More than 570 from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe monitored the election, highlighting the international community鈥檚 stake in ensuring a credible and transparent process.
