Albania votes as PM Rama seeks fourth term

11/5/2025 17:15

Albanians started voting in parliamentary elections on Sunday with prime minister Edi Rama seeking an unprecedented fourth term in office after a campaign dominated by promises to join the European Union and accusations of widespread graft.



Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. Results are expected on Monday.



Rama, in power as head of the Socialist Party since 2013, is favourite to win against his old rival, former prime minister Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party, bolstered in part by an influential network built over 12 years in power, a recent period of healthy economic growth and a largely popular image abroad.



But opposition to Rama has intensified in the past year over a perceived crackdown on the opposition, including Berisha, while Rama weathered a series of scandals of his own. These include the arrest of his ally, the mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj, this year on allegations of corruption and money laundering.



Veliaj and Berisha deny wrongdoing.



Rama has spent the last week reiterating his promise to join the EU by the end of the decade, although some experts doubt that timeline will be possible given the reforms required to join the bloc, including eradicating graft.