Edi Rama Poised for Historic Fourth Term in Albania
Edi Rama's Socialist Party leads parliamentary elections with 53% of the vote, aiming for his fourth term as Albania's Prime Minister. His campaign focuses on EU membership by 2030, despite skepticism. Overseas voting marked this election, with full results expected soon, confirming Albania's political trajectory.
Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, appears set to secure an unprecedented fourth term, according to the latest partial results from Sunday's parliamentary election. The Socialist Party, led by Rama, captured 53% of the votes with 30% of ballots counted, well above the opposition Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, which achieved 34%, the election commission reported.
In power since 2013, Rama is favored to extend his leadership, supported by a powerful network built over the past 12 years, a period marked by robust economic progress, and a positive international image. If Rama maintains this lead, he'll continue efforts to integrate Albania into the European Union by 2030, a central theme of his campaign despite some expert skepticism about its realism.
Rama's potential fourth term underscores his popularity, even after a challenging third term marred by involvement in opposition crackdowns and corruption scandals. Notably, this election included 200,000 overseas Albanians voting, a first for Albania's elections. Final results are anticipated early this week.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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