Albania is voting to elect the 140 members of Parliament , dominated for 12 years by the socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama. The latter is competing for a new record: to obtain a fourth term at the helm of the country . Opposite him is 80-year-old Sali Berisha, former President of the Republic and former Prime Minister for two terms from 2005 to 2013 , who has returned to lead his Democratic Party (PD), the main political force of the centre-right opposition and is competing with a large coalition that sees 22 other political formations around him.

There are also eight other parties and three coalitions in today's race.

It is in the spirit of the EU that Rama has built his electoral campaign, promising the conclusion of negotiations in 2027 and full membership by 2030, even though this is an objective that goes beyond his future mandate.

"There is only one date before us to win the historic challenge with Europe. For Albania and with Albania in Europe", was the Prime Minister's leitmotif. His appeal is addressed to everyone, "without political distinction, to be up to this encounter with history and not allow the open door of the EU to close".

Berisha also speaks of these elections as "a historic moment for the future of the country", promising "a new Albania, free from crime and corruption". But more than in the economic program and promises for tax cuts, the Albanian opposition seems to place its hopes in the "magic" of Chris Lacivita , one of the main consultants of the electoral campaign of US President Donald Trump, called to build the opposition's strategy. "Let's make Albania great again" was the slogan chosen by Berisha , who wanted to imitate Trump not only in the slogan but also in his public appearances, always wearing a baseball cap, but in blue, like that of his party.

However, the former president is also facing corruption charges from the Albanian Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK), which held him "under house arrest" until last November. His ally and leader of the Freedom Party, former President of the Republic Ilir Meta, has been in prison for several months, arrested for "corruption and money laundering". Another ally, the president of the Republican Party, Fatmir Mediu, is being investigated for "abuse of office" in another trial.

Rama also ran again after a series of corruption scandals that have engulfed the majority in the past two years , with several of its mayors, former high-ranking officials, and former ministers arrested, including former deputy prime minister Arben Ahmetaj, who fled to Switzerland. The arrest last February, also of the mayor of Tirana for alleged corruption, appeared as a heavy blow three months before the elections.

The polls, however, have shown the opposite: Rama and his party are clearly ahead , so much so that the Prime Minister has even made a public bet, aiming for a minimum of 78 seats (4 more than the current ones) and a maximum of 88, which would even guarantee him an absolute majority in Parliament.

(Online Union)

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