Albania: Preliminary poll results show Socialists ahead

Preliminary results show that the ruling Socialist Party is ahead in Albania’s parliamentary election

TIRANA, Albania -- Preliminary results on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead in Albania’s parliamentary election. With one-third of the votes counted, the left-wing Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama have 50% of the votes, followed by the main opposition center-right Democratic Party of Lulzim Basha with 39%. An exit poll for Euronews Albania from the MRB, part of the London-based Kantar Group, projected that the Socialists will win about 46% of the vote while the Democrats are expected to capture about 42%. It is still unclear whether Socialists will get the 71 seats they need to govern alone. Preliminary turnout Sunday was almost 48%, slightly higher than four years ago.