{"id":93145,"date":"2025-05-11T16:23:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T16:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/93145\/"},"modified":"2025-05-11T16:23:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T16:23:09","slug":"albanian-election-sees-old-rivals-new-parties-and-an-ambitious-promise-of-eu-membership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/93145\/","title":{"rendered":"Albanian election sees old rivals, new parties and an ambitious promise of EU membership"},"content":{"rendered":"

TIRANA, Albania (AP) \u2014 Prime Minister Edi Rama<\/a> is seeking a fourth term as Albania\u2019s prime minister in a general election<\/a> on Sunday, after taking on his political nemesis in a boisterous campaign dominated by the country\u2019s uphill effort to join the European Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rama\u2019s Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership<\/a> in five years, sticking to an ambitious pledge while battling conservative opponents with public recriminations and competing promises of pay hikes.<\/p>\n

Opening up the election 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 recent TikTok ban. And Rama\u2019s opponents have hired a heavy hitter from the United States to steer their campaign. <\/p>\n

The country of 2.8 million people, with 3.7 million eligible voters including the diaspora casting ballots for the first time by mail, will elect 140 lawmakers to four-year terms, choosing from 2,046 candidates representing 11 political groupings, including three coalitions.<\/p>\n

Turnout until 10 a.m. (0800 GMT), three hours after polls opened, was 13.15%, according to the Central Election Commission, slightly less than four years ago. Polls close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT). Results are expected in the next 48 hours, according to the election law. <\/p>\n

Black and blue baseball caps <\/p>\n

Rama, 60, secured the start of EU membership negotiations last October<\/a> and is relying heavily on that momentum. His campaign also highlighted achievements in infrastructure and justice reform.<\/p>\n

Under the party slogan \u201cAlbania 2030 in EU, Only with Edi and SP,\u201d Rama insists that full EU accession is possible by 2030 with annual funding of 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) upon joining.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is the people\u2019s words. Let\u2019s wait for the people to speak,\u201d said Rama after casting his ballot. <\/p>\n

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas<\/a> is pressing Albania to continue reforms \u2014 particularly in governance and anti-corruption efforts \u2014 to stay on track for EU membership.<\/p>\n

Commentators are also skeptical. \u201cIt is an electoral pledge which is a citizens\u2019 desire,\u201d independent analyst Aleksander Cipa says, describing Rama\u2019s timeline as \u201cnot realizable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rama\u2019s main challenger is Sali Berisha<\/a>, a hoarse-voiced and energetic 80-year-old survivor of Albania\u2019s tumultuous politics. Berisha, a former president and prime minister, has led the conservative Democratic Party of Albania since its founding in 1990, when student protests marked the end of communist isolation.<\/p>\n

He argues that Albania still isn\u2019t ready for EU membership. Berisha\u2019s leadership \u2014 fraught with party feuds and corruption allegations \u2014 and messaging remain contentious. He started the campaign borrowing from U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s slogan, which he changed to \u201cMake Albania Great Again,\u201d but eventually settled on \u201cGrandiose Albania.\u201d <\/p>\n

Albania\u2019s Democratic Party hired Chris LaCivita<\/a>, the veteran Republican political consultant and architect of Trump\u2019s 2024 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n

Berisha often appears at rallies wearing a blue baseball cap marked with a No. 1, the party\u2019s position on the ballot. In response, Rama sports a black cap emblazoned with the Socialist Party\u2019s No. 5.<\/p>\n

Economic and tourism pledges<\/p>\n

Economic concerns have been central to the campaign.<\/p>\n

The Socialists say they will accelerate a tourism boom<\/a>, from 10 million arrivals in 2024 to 30 million by 2030, diversifying destinations by expanding infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n

The Democrats argue that the government\u2019s dismal performance has driven more than 1 million Albanians to leave the county over the past decade.<\/p>\n

After casting his ballot, Berisha called on Albanians to vote \u201cfor themselves, for their children, their pensions and salaries, employment, business, their farm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both parties have made similar promises: a minimum pension of 200 euros ($225), an average monthly salary of 1,200 euros ($1,365), and a minimum wage of 500 euros ($570) \u2013 about 20% or higher than current levels. Berisha also advocates a 10% flat tax, value-added tax refunds for basic food items, a consumer card loaded with government money for retirees to buy basic foodstuffs at discounted prices and other benefits.<\/p>\n

The pledges have blurred ideological lines and politics dominated by two parties has encouraged the creation of alternatives. Several newer parties \u2014 two from the center-right and two left-wing ones \u2014 could emerge as kingmakers, if no major party wins a majority.<\/p>\n

But analyst Lutfi Dervishi considers that scenario unlikely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a campaign without debate and results without surprises,\u201d he said. \u201cElections won\u2019t shake up the current scene \u2014 neither the system nor the main actors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corruption and justice<\/p>\n

Despite Albania\u2019s significant improvement in Transparency International\u2019s corruption index \u2014 rising from 116th in 2013 to 80th in the ranking in 2024 \u2014 corruption remains the country\u2019s Achilles\u2019 heel<\/a> and a stumbling block for European integration. <\/p>\n

Sweeping judicial reforms launched in 2016 with support from the EU and U.S. led to investigations and prosecutions of senior officials. Several former ministers, mayors and high-ranking officials have been jailed, while others face ongoing investigations.<\/p>\n

Despite promises of cleaner governance, both major parties are fielding candidates facing corruption allegations.<\/p>\n

Berisha himself has been charged with corruption and is awaiting trial. In 2021, the U.S. government barred him and his close relatives<\/a> from entering the country over alleged corruption. The United Kingdom followed suit in 2022.<\/p>\n

Last October, Ilir Meta<\/a>, a former president and now head of the left-wing Freedom Party of Albania that\u2019s allied with Berisha, was arrested on corruption allegations. He\u2019s running for a parliamentary seat in Tirana.<\/p>\n

The capital\u2019s mayor, Erion Veliaj<\/a>, a senior Socialist official, was detained in February amid a corruption investigation involving public funds. He\u2019s not running for reelection. All the accused have denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

While Rama\u2019s Socialists take credit for the reformed judiciary, Berisha has vowed to dissolve it, describing it as a tool of the Rama government\u2019s selective justice.<\/p>\n

TikTok and the \u2018swamp owl\u2019<\/p>\n

Social media has become a primary vehicle for campaigning. Rama hosts daily Facebook livestreams to engage with voters. Berisha has followed suit, though less frequently.<\/p>\n

The government has imposed a 12-month ban on TikTok<\/a>, citing concerns over incitement and online bullying. Opposition parties condemned the move as censorship.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cswamp owl\u201d \u2014 a metaphor for graft \u2014 while Berisha branded Rama as a \u201cchief gangster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Albania\u2019s past elections often have been marred by irregularities, including vote-buying and ballot manipulation. <\/p>\n

More than 570 international observers<\/a> will be monitoring this year\u2019s parliamentary election, highlighting the international community\u2019s stake in ensuring a credible and transparent process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TIRANA, Albania (AP) \u2014 Prime Minister Edi Rama is seeking a fourth term as Albania\u2019s prime minister in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[10541,43964,43965,15897,2575,32,43669,33,2000,299,5187,1699,4179,43961,43963,8614,2596,43962,285,43668,35426,10542,26199,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-93145","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-albania","9":"tag-aleksander-cipa","10":"tag-chris-lacivita","11":"tag-conservatism","12":"tag-corruption","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-edi-rama","15":"tag-elections","16":"tag-eu","17":"tag-europe","18":"tag-european","19":"tag-european-union","20":"tag-general-news","21":"tag-global-elections","22":"tag-ilir-meta","23":"tag-international-agreements","24":"tag-kaja-kallas","25":"tag-lutfi-dervishi","26":"tag-politics","27":"tag-sali-berisha","28":"tag-socialism","29":"tag-tirana","30":"tag-voting","31":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114490128079425673","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}