Berisha's call to protest casts shadow over Albanian electoral results
Sali Berisha, the leader of the Democratic Party - Albania's main opposition party, called on Tuesday for his supporters to protest after he refused to recognise the results of Sunday's parliamentary elections. After counting 98% of the votes, it was announced that Prime Minister Edi Rama's Socialist Party had won.
"The May 11 elections were characterised by the most massive public [vote] buying in all of Albania’s electoral history. We are never going to agree with these elections," said Berisha, as quoted by the portal Balkan Insight.
The former Prime Minister and President of Albania called for a protest on Friday, when European leaders will participate in the European Political Community meeting in Tirana.
After counting 98% of the votes, Rama's Socialist Party achieved 52% support, while the Democratic Party and its right-wing coalition, which came second, received 34%. This result gives the Socialists 82 seats in Albania's 140-member parliament.
OSCE observers on "intimidation"
On Monday, international observers from the OSCE reported that the campaign period was marked by extensive intimidation and misuse of public resources, although they acknowledged that the voting process was conducted in an orderly and efficient manner.
Political commentator Ergys Mertiri told Balkan Insight that "more than Rama’s victory, these elections were a failure of the opposition." The expert added that the opposition's defeat is largely due to their inability to form a larger coalition.
Berisha was placed under house arrest in 2024 due to corruption charges. Several mass demonstrations were organised in Tirana at that time, one of which turned into riots in front of the Albanian parliament. Supporters of the Democratic Party demanded the replacement of the government with a technocratic cabinet and the release of Berisha from house arrest, which ultimately occurred at the end of November.
