Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama appears to have won the election after a near-complete vote suggests voters have sent him to an unprecedented fourth term.
With 94% of the vote count, Rama's party led the left-wing socialists to a huge victory for Sali Berisha's centre-right Democrats, a key poll of the Balkan countries' attempts to join the EU.
Official Election Commission data shows that the incumbent party received 52% of the vote while its main opposition rivals received 34% of the vote, and while international observers questioned the fairness of the poll, official Election Commission data shows.
The preliminary turnout for Sunday's election was close to 42.16%, 4% lower than four years ago. The state election commission will announce the full results on Tuesday.
"This is a result that exceeds all expectations, even before the vote is fully calculated." "The fourth consecutive win was amazing. The EDI led to very happy."
Rama has run for his ability to reform rapidly since 2013, deeming that it is crucial for former communist countries to join the EU. The 60-year-old has promised to deliver membership within five years of the official opening of the negotiations in October last year.
After the European leaders invaded Ukraine, some European leaders wanted to see Albania and other countries in the western Balkans join the group, a goal that many regarded as highly ambitious.
More than thirty years ago, the country's first president, Berisha, argued that Albania was far from ready to accept the EU. Once a private physician to the late Stalin dictator Enver Hoxha, a cardiologist who had carried out an American-style campaign overseen by consultants including Chris Lacivita, including Republican strategists, the Republican strategist was honored to help the Nov. 11 victory for Donald Trump. Berisha made his campaign motto “make Albania great again”.
The Democrats have joined forces with 20 other political groups to remove Rama. But by early Monday, with vote counting, it was clear that socialists were in the lead.
The International Election Monitoring Mission led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said there had been “abuse of public resources and institutional power” during the campaign. It said, “There are many reports on public employees and other voters and the pressure on intimidation cases.”
The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Analysts say the Socialist Party appears to have won the support of overseas voters after Albania’s large expatriate community was allowed to vote for the first time by post. More than 192,000 votes were obtained from nearly 246,000 Albanians who registered foreign votes ahead of the elections in 2.7 million countries before Sunday's election.
According to a survey of European estimates released in November, 83% of Albanians support EU membership, the highest recognition for any population in the Western Balkans.
Rama served as mayor of Tirana before entering mainstream politics - to vividize the capital's monotonous urban landscape by drawing its communist-era buildings in a series of colors - making the country's EU joining an urgent task. Supporters attending the weekly rally wear white T-shirts engraved with large colored "5" to turn the mission into a logo, indicating the remaining years to 2030.
Albanian ambassador to Greece Luela Hajdaraga said the commitment of EU members is a major attraction for diaspora voters.
“Albanians living abroad are very eager to participate in this historic process and hear voices,” she told the Guardian. “In Greece, especially, the issue of obtaining citizenship is so difficult, and the prospects for Albania to join the EU are very positive.”
Rama said that the country's most isolated country for decades was "the gateway in Europe." The country has opened 16 of 35 negotiation chapters as members. But he also faces challenges in lands destroyed by corruption and organized crime, especially large-scale immigration as young Albanians seek a better life abroad.