Albanians vote in election after a campaign dominated by uphill efforts to join the EU
TIRANA Albania AP Albanians voted Sunday in parliamentary elections 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 office Polls closed at p m Sunday and vote counting is expected to conclude within hours in an voting process in which lawmakers will be selected to four-year terms Because of mass emigration the country of million people has about million eligible voters For the first time those in the diaspora about so far this time could vote casting their ballots by mail Rama s Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years sticking to its ambitious pledge while battling conservative opponents with masses recriminations and competing promises of pay hikes Opening up the ballot to voters abroad 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 current TikTok ban Voting was largely peaceful with just a meager skirmishes involving candidates and supporters around the country Bureaucrats put preliminary voter turnout at lower than it was in For the preponderance part excluding selected sporadic cases the process has been in line with the rules and standards stated Ilirjan Celibashi the head of the Central Electoral contest Commission Black and blue baseball caps Rama who secured the start of EU membership negotiations last October highlighted achievements in infrastructure and justice overhaul in his campaign EU foreign agenda chief Kaja Kallas is pressing Albania to continue reforms particularly in governance and anti-corruption efforts to stay on track for EU membership Rama s main challenger is Sali Berisha a former president and prime minister who argues that Albania still isn t ready for EU membership He started the campaign borrowing from U S President Donald Trump s slogan which he changed to Make Albania Great Again but eventually settled on Grandiose Albania Berisha wore a blue baseball cap marked with a No the party s position on the ballot Rama sported a black cap emblazoned with the Socialist Party s No Berisha claimed they had won in all the traditional center-right areas adding that counting should not take place under pressure Nothing can change People have spoken decisively he mentioned Economic and tourism pledges Economic concerns have been central to the campaign The Socialists say they will accelerate a tourism boom from million arrivals in to million by diversifying destinations by expanding infrastructure projects The Democrats argue that the regime s dismal performance has driven more than million Albanians to leave the county over the past decade After casting his ballot Berisha called on Albanians to vote for themselves for their children their pensions and salaries employment business their farm Both parties made similar promises on minimum pensions an average monthly salary and a minimum wage all about or higher than current levels But analyst Lutfi Dervishi considered that scenario unlikely It s a campaign without debate and results without surprises he noted Elections won t shake up the current scene neither the system nor the main actors Corruption and justice Despite Albania s notable improvement in Transparency International s corruption index rising from th in to th in the ranking in corruption remains the country s Achilles heel and a stumbling block for European integration Sweeping judicial reforms launched in with advocacy from the EU and U S led to investigations and prosecutions of senior functionaries Several former ministers mayors and high-ranking administrators have been jailed while others face ongoing investigations Despite promises of cleaner governance both major parties are fielding candidates facing corruption statements Berisha himself has been charged with corruption and is awaiting trial While Rama s Socialists take credit for the reformed judiciary Berisha has vowed to dissolve it describing it as a tool of the Rama authorities s selective justice TikTok and the swamp owl Social media has become a primary carriage for campaigning Rama hosted daily Facebook livestreams to engage with voters Berisha followed suit though less frequently The ruling body has imposed a -month ban on TikTok citing concerns over incitement and online bullying Opposition parties condemned the move as censorship A code of conduct introduced by the Albanian ombudsman to encourage ethical campaigning fell flat as political discourse grew increasingly toxic Rama described Berisha as a swamp owl a metaphor for graft while Berisha branded Rama as a chief gangster More than international observers monitored this year s parliamentary electoral contest They have planned a news conference Monday afternoon Source
