Albanians vote in election after a bitter political fight

Albanians are voting in parliamentary elections amid the virus pandemic and a bitter political rivalry between the two largest political parties

TIRANA, Albania -- Albanians are voting in parliamentary elections on Sunday amid the virus pandemic and a bitter rivalry between the two largest political parties. Some 3.6 million eligible voters, including Albanians overseas, will elect 140 lawmakers among some 1,800 candidates from 12 political parties or coalitions and those running independently. No early or postal voting is allowed. People infected with COVID-19 cannot vote. Albania, with a population of 2.8 million and a NATO member since 2009, is looking forward to launching full membership negotiations with the European Union later this year. Sunday's vote is considered as a key milestone on that path. Albania has seen a significant fall in daily coronavirus cases in the past week despite political rallies around the country. More than 400,000 people have received their jabs.