Albania to hold legislative elections
Albanians head to the polls today for the nation’s parliamentary elections.
The Socialist Party of Albania (PS)–which currently heads the government–leads in opinion polls. Additionally, Prime Minister and PS Chairman Edi Rama has been in power since 2013, making this election his third run for Albania’s highest office. In early March, the conservative Democratic Party (PD), led by Lulzom Basha, and the smaller Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) agreed to run separately on the ballot. The two opposition parties’ main platform focused on anti-corruption. Should the PD and LSI win a majority of votes, however, they would form a coalition government and oust PS from power.
Albanian President Ilir Meta, who founded LSI in 2004, has bashed the Rama government accusing it of emulating corrupt tactics from Albania’s communist past and inciting violence before the election. The winner will likely set the future course for EU-Albanian integration, raising the stakes considerably. If Lulzom Basha and the PD win, their coalition may be able to restart EU entrance talks. Otherwise, Brussels’ concerns about Albanian corruption, the major stalling point for EU accession talks, are unlikely to change under another Rama administration.
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