• Prime Minister Edi Rama secures his fourth term with the Socialist Party winning 52% of the votes.
• The Socialist Party is expected to form a government with 82 seats in the 140-seat parliament.
• The election results may be delayed due to opposition claims of manipulated diaspora votes.
• Rama emphasizes Albania's goal of EU membership by 2030, underpinned by a focus on economic issues.
• Turnout was approximately 42.21%, lower than previous elections.

In the recent parliamentary elections, the ruling Socialist Party in Albania, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, achieved a remarkable victory, securing approximately 52 percent of the votes, translating to 82 of the 140 seats in parliament. This result marks Rama's fourth consecutive term in office and reflects a shift from the 49 percent his party garnered in the previous elections, according to Al Jazeera and Le Monde.

The preliminary results, confirmed by the Central Election Commission, indicated that the opposition, led by Sali Berisha's Democratic Party, obtained around 34 percent of the votes, equating to 51 seats in the new assembly. The election saw a participation rate of approximately 42.21 percent, slightly lower than in earlier polls, as noted by sources including India Times and Anadolu Agency.

The election has faced scrutiny, particularly regarding the validity of 53,000 ballots mailed from the Albanian diaspora in Greece, which the opposition claims were manipulated. This marks the first instance where diaspora voters could participate by letter, with around 195,000 votes submitted, according to Le Monde, India Times, and Al Jazeera.

Prime Minister Rama highlighted during his victory speech the goal of achieving EU membership by 2030, pledging to focus on vital economic sectors, including tourism and agriculture, as emphasized by Anadolu Agency and Le Monde. The elections were considered a test of Albania's democratic proficiency and stability in the EU arena.