Albania votes in election amid deep political division

Albanians headed to the polls in parliamentary elections on Sunday following a bitter campaign and violence between rival supporters. 

Some 3.6 million eligible voters, including Albanians overseas, will elect 140 lawmakers among some 1,800 candidates. 

Voters have expressed frustration with the politics and economy of the country, which is hoping to launch full membership talks with the EU later this year.  

Sunday’s polls are expected to be neck-and-neck between the ruling Socialists and the opposition. The vote is being closely watched by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Western embassies.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has been in power for eight years

Who is running?  

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is seeking a third term for his Socialist Party (PS). His campaign centered around promises of turning Albania into a “champion” in tourism, energy, agriculture and digital projects. 

Rama’s main contender is Lulzim Basha of the opposition Democratic Party (PD), who is seeking a return to power eight years after losing an election. 

Twelve other parties have united in a coalition behind Basha, who has accused the government of corruption and links to organized crime.

The PD is pledging lower taxes, higher salaries and more social financial support.

Pre-election opinion polls showed the PS likely to place first.

Lulzim Basha, a 46-year-old lawyer and former mayor of Tirana, has held previous government posts

What is expected from the winning party? 

Despite their division, all parties have vowed to deliver the needed reforms for Albania to fulfill its goal of joining the EU.

The bloc agreed to open membership talks last year, but is yet to set a date for the first meeting.  

In 2014, Tirana was granted EU candidate status. Still, there has been little progress due to the coronavirus pandemic and lack of reforms within the country. 

The new government will also face the challenge of dealing with the pandemic and rebuilding homes after a 2019 earthquake that killed 51 people and damaged more than 11,400 properties. 

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Early morning earthquake

  The earthquake hit shortly before shortly before 4 a.m. as people slept. Witnesses reported buildings partially collapsing around them as they woke up.

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Buildings collapse

  Many people were trapped under the rubble when residential buildings in the towns of Thumane and Durres collapsed. One man in Kurbin died trying to escape a building by jumping out of the window.

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Rescue attempts

  Rescue teams were racing to recover survivors, but the authorities described their work as “extremely difficult” due to high risk of more structures collapsing.

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Help from Kosovo

  The neighboring Kosovo, which also populated mostly by Albanians, sent a contigent of vehicles and emergency responders across the border. Other Balkan countries and the EU all pledged to deploy rescuers and equipment.

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Many injured

  By early afternoon, hundreds of people had been reported injured and scores were hospitalized. Soldiers were erecting hundreds of tents to house those who were left without safe homes.

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Quake felt by millions

  While only Albanian authorities were reporting causalities, the quake was felt all over the Balkan Peninsula, including northern Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria.

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  In pictures: Albania earthquake

  Worst earthquake in decades

  The 6.4-magnitude earthquake was the most powerful felt in the past 30 years, according to the Defense Ministry. Images of collapsed buildings suggested it may have been worse than the 1979 quake that razed a neighborhood of a northern town.

What about the pre-election tensions?  

The Balkan country is deeply divided, with rival political parties exchanging fiery remarks during a bitter election campaign. 

On Wednesday, a shooting that was linked to party activists left one person dead and four injured. 

The incident drew criticism from the US Embassy, which urged the the country’s main political leaders to “exercise restraint” and “to clearly reject violence” before the election.

fb/nm (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters) 

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/albania-votes-in-election-amid-deep-political-division/a-57326961?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf