- By William Silgueiro
- (General Dispatch) – The Albanian media AP has reported the preliminary results of the elections being held, where the socialist party is leading the polls.
- According to the figures obtained so far the left-wing socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama have 50% of the votes, the center-right opposition party Democratic Party of Lulzim Basha 39% giving a remarkable difference on the votes.
- Earlier a survey conducted by the Kantar Group, a London-based brand consultancy and data analysis company, had predicted 46% for the Socialists and 42% for the Democrats.
- However, it is not yet known whether the Socialists will win all 71 seats in parliament with which they can fully govern without any impediments.
- The turnout of citizens was around 48% being higher than in the last 4 years, being around 3.6 million voters.
- Although the media reported that the elections were carried out normally in their great majority, 167 polling stations presented failures at the time of voter identification.
- The head of the Central Electoral Commission, Ilirjan Celibashi said that the election was successful and expects that the total result will be ready as soon as possible to announce the winning party.
- It is expected that after announcing the winner, Albania, which is a NATO member since 2009, will start new negotiations with the European bloc; however the international community asked political leaders to assume the judgment of the elections.
Adittional Information:
Breitbart: Exit Polls: Socialists Ahead in NATO Member Albania’s Elections
AP News: Albania: Preliminary poll results show Socialists ahead
