Opposition party boycotts election as political chaos reigns in Albania

Only candidate in majority of districts belongs to ruling party

Opposition supporters hold placards reminiscing Albania's dictatorship past as country goes to polls despite opposition boycott (AFP/Getty Images)

Albanians were casting ballots on Sunday to elect mayors and city councils, or parliaments, amid a tense political conflict with the opposition boycotting the municipal elections.

While the Socialist-run government is insisting on holding the election, the opposition wants to stop it taking place.

The opposition, led by the centre-right Democratic Party, blames a corrupt government linked to organised crime and is demanding fresh national elections.

Albania‘s President Ilir Meta is sympathetic to the opposition and declared that the vote is cancelled, but the government under Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to abide by that decision.

Votes will be cast to pick authorities that will run 61 districts across the country for the next four years.

On late Saturday the Democratic Party’s leader, Lulzim Basha, called on Albanians to boycott the vote and said they would hold non-violent protests. Police have said protests are not allowed the voting day.

Mr Rama cast his ballot in Surrel, a village near Tirana where he lives.

“This day confirms that no one can play with the people ... and who dares take sovereignty from the people finds no other end but a failing and a shameful one,” he told journalists.

The opposition has been holding anti-government protests since mid-February when they also relinquished their seats in parliament.

They say the political crisis will be resolved when Mr Rama resigns and vote-riggers are jailed.

Small groups of opposition supporters in Tirana and a nearby town rallied in front of some polling stations, shouting “Rama go!”

The ruling Socialists are the only candidates in 35 out of 61 districts, with some smaller leftist and centre-right parties running against them in the rest.

Thousands of police officers guarded the polling stations Sunday. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said it was sending 174 election observers, who will give their preliminary findings on Monday.

Audrey Glover, head of the international monitoring mission, found the situation at a Tirana polling station “not conducive to observing”.

Holding a free and fair election is considered key for the launch of EU membership talks for the tiny Western Balkan country, already a NATO member.

Voting ends at 5pm GMT. Preliminary election results are not expected until Monday.

The Central Election Commission, the institution running the election, said turnout at 11am (10am BST) was about 12 percent.

Associated Press