Edi Rama clearly wins parliamentary elections in Albania

The Socialist Party (PS) of Prime Minister Edi Rama has clearly won the parliamentary elections in Albania . According to figures from the electoral commission in Tirana, the PS received around 52 percent of the vote in Sunday's vote. The conservative Democratic Party (PD) of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha came in a distant second with just over 34 percent.

Rama and his Socialists were thus able to improve their 2021 election result by several percentage points. With an expected 82 of the 140 seats in parliament, they have a very comfortable governing majority.

This should enable 60-year-old Rama to advance his goal of joining the EU in 2030. However, many experts consider this timetable too optimistic.

Election not free and fair?

International election observers led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) expressed doubts that the parliamentary election was free from interference. They noted an "abuse of public resources and institutional power by the ruling party" during the campaign. They also received "numerous reports of pressure on state officials and other voters, as well as cases of intimidation."

Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009 and has been negotiating with the European Union for about three years regarding its accession to the alliance. The Balkan state has been an official candidate for membership since 2014.

Influential network

Rama has been in power since 2013 and was the favorite going into the election. His success is partly based on an influential network he has built over twelve years in power. Opponents accuse him of governing the country through a system of favoritism and of doing little to combat corruption and unemployment. Rama denies this.

Rama can count it as a success that, according to the World Bank, the Albanian economy has grown faster than other Balkan countries in recent years. This is due to Albania's trade with the EU and a tourism boom.

wa/jj (rtr, dpa, afp)