Meanwhile, the main opposition party, the Democrats — who look to have secured around 52 seats in the parliament — blamed the outcome on what they called the Socialist Party’s entrenched grip on institutions and alleged efforts to sway voters.
“If tens of thousands of people are employed in return for their vote … if the polling stations are surrounded by party loyalists on all sides … then we know what to call these elections,” Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha said in a statement.
Hoping to stage a political comeback akin to Trump’s 2024 return, Albania’s center-right Democratic Party brought on Trump campaign strategist LaCivita to help craft their message and steer their campaign.
LaCivita amplified Berisha’s claims of election manipulation in a post on X, sharing a report from local news channel Syri TV about an alleged Socialist Party vote-buying office located near a polling station in Tirana.
“Here is what stealing votes looks like in Albania..courtesy of the narco govt of edie [sic] rama,” LaCivita’s post said.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe election monitoring mission said Monday that the election was conducted in a comprehensive and transparent manner, but noted the Socialist Party’s long tenure in government “created an unfair advantage in power.”
But for Rama, who is basking in his victory, only one thing was important: voter sentiment.
“They have sent a powerful and simple message: ‘We want to finally reach the heights of the European Union — and we can do it only with you, and with the Socialist Party!’”
