Albanians headed to the polls for parliamentary elections on Sunday. Prime Minister Edi Rama is seeking an unprecedented fourth term in office after a campaign dominated by promises of European Union membership and allegations of widespread corruption.
Rama, in power as head of the Socialist Party since 2013, is likely to beat his old rival, former two-time prime minister and once president, Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party.
Polls show Rama has a commanding lead over Berisha, who has been weakened by a corruption probe, but his party may need the assistance of smaller parties to maintain a narrow four-seat majority.
Final results are expected on Monday. A total of 3.7 million Albanian citizens are eligible to elect 140 members of parliament, with the Albanian diaspora participating in the vote for the first time.
According to the World Bank, Rama's performance in some areas is quite good. Annual economic growth of more than 4% for 2022-2024, due to trade with the EU and a tourism boom that has outpaced other Balkan countries, is a case in point.
However, corruption remains a considerable problem, experts say.
Promises of EU membership
Rama’s Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years, sticking to an ambitious pledge while battling conservative opponents with public recriminations and competing promises of pay hikes.
Opening the election to diaspora voters for the first time has added to the volatility, along with the appearance of new parties, a shift in campaigning to social media and a recent TikTok ban.
Rama, 60, secured the start of EU membership negotiations last October and is relying heavily on that momentum. His campaign also highlighted achievements in infrastructure and justice reform.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is pressing Albania to continue reforms — particularly in governance and anti-corruption efforts — to stay on track for EU membership.
'Grandiose Albania'
Rama’s main challenger Berisha, a hoarse-voiced and energetic 80-year-old survivor of Albania’s tumultuous politics, has led the conservative Democratic Party since its founding in 1990, when student protests marked the end of communist isolation.
He argues that Albania was still not ready for EU membership. Berisha’s leadership — fraught with party feuds and corruption allegations — and his messaging remain contentious.
He started the campaign borrowing from US President Donald Trump's slogan, which he changed to “Make Albania Great Again,” but eventually settled on “Grandiose Albania”.
Albania’s Democratic Party hired Chris LaCivita, the veteran Republican political consultant and architect of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Turnout until 10 am, three hours after polls opened, was 13.15%, according to the Central Election Commission, slightly less than four years ago. Polls close at 7 pm.
