Elections, Opposition Wins in Tirana, Big Cities

TIRANA, Feb 22 – The Socialist-led opposition parties emerged as winners in Sunday’s flawed local elections in Albania, taking the main cities, including the capital Tirana, according to preliminary results offered by local observers, the media and partially from the Central Election Commission, or KQZ. The opposition is believed to have won the majority of municipalities, including Durres, Korca, Berat, Fier, and Vlora. Almost 2.9 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in Albania’s 384 municipalities.
The elections were considered a test of Albania’s political and democratic maturity. They were generally marred by irregularities, very much noted by the International Election Observation Mission of the OSCE/ODIHR, Council of Europe and the European Parliament. International observers described the poll as a “missed opportunity” to conduct a vote in line with international standards. The poll had already been delayed by a month as feuding Albanian blocs could not agree on election rules. This may be considered a serious blow to Albania’s hopes to accelerate its progress toward membership in the European Union and NATO.
As expected, the eyes concentrated in Tirana where Socialist leader Edi Rama was running for a third term against ex-interior minister Sokol Olldashi. Preliminary results showed Rama surpassed Olldashi by more than 20,000 votes.
The electoral process passed relatively peacefully during the voting day on Sunday, until the evening when the counting process started. Then began irregularities with political parties affecting negatively their commissioners in order to allegedly falsify or create difficulties in counting in those areas they felt they had lost. That brought about different scuffles in southern Gjirokastra and in Ndroq near Tirana. One commissioner of the Socialist opposition commissioner was in a difficult health situation following being hit with a chair at the end of the counting process.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha came out Wednesday at a government meeting saying that his executives would still respect the promises they had made during the electoral campaign despite the loss in different areas. Socialist leader Edi Rama came out victorious and thanked all voters and also the allies, especially the Socialist Movement for Integration.