Albania Avoids Violence in Contested Local Elections

Fears of violence receded in Albania on Sunday in contested local elections that most of the opposition parties boycotted. However, a low turnout by mid-afternoon suggested that the Socialist-led government would struggle to present the election results as democratically legitimate.

About 3.5 million Albanians were entitled to vote in the  elections, but the main opposition parties boycotted them citing alleged collusion between the Socialist-led government of Edi Rama and organized crime networks in past elections.

On Sunday afternoon, the Central Election Commission CEC spokesperson Drilona Hoxhaj told a press conference that the turnout by 3pm was only about 15.5 per cent - although he said the figure might well rise before polls closed at 7pm. The CEC estimated that voter participation by 6pm would be 19 per cent.

As Socialist Party candidates had no or little competition in the municipalities, and were therefore expected to win all of 61 of them, meaning all 1,590 council seats, the turnout was the only topic of debate.

Election administration in Albania is based on commissions on which all the main parliamentary political parties are represented. But as the opposition boycotted the elections, only Socialist representatives were present at commissions.

Klement Zguri, the nominal chairman of the CEC, who is routinely overruled by the four commission members nominated by the Socialists, gave an alternative press conference, downplaying the accuracy of the figure provided by the spokesperson, and calling it "a mere estimate".

As Socialist officials took sole care of the election administration and vote count, the result is likely to be hotly debated.

Ivi Kaso, a representative of the main opposition Democratic Party,...