Albanians vote in elections seen as test of democratic credentials

Albania went to the polls Sunday in local elections seen as a test of the Balkan country's fragile democracy as it pushes to join the European Union.

Since the fall of communism in the early 1990s, Albanian elections have been often marred by violence and accusations of fraud from all sides.

"More than the results, the real importance of these elections are the values of democracy which must triumph," parliamentary speaker Ilir Meta told AFP.

The election will also measure the popularity of the ruling Socialist-led coalition, which has been in power since 2013.

Opposition leader Lulzim Basha, the mayor of the capital Tirana, has billed the vote as a "popular referendum against the ruling majority", and has already warned they could be "fake and rigged".

Some 3.3 million Albanians are eligible to elect mayors and councillors in 61 municipalities. The results are expected Monday.
Some Albanians in the diaspora in Greece, Italy and beyond also have a vote.

The ruling coalition, which has whittled down the number of municipalities from 373 to 61 as part of a reform of local government, says it is confident of a "spectacular victory".

The EU will be closely watching the vote, with almost 400 foreign and 5,000 local observers monitoring the election.

Around 6,000 police have been deployed to ensure security and supervise the transport of the ballot boxes.

NATO member Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries with 14.3 percent of the population living below the poverty line, according to official statistics, with a similarly high unemployment rate.

Albania obtained EU candidate status a year ago. The move was aimed at encouraging the country's progress in the fight against corruption and organised crime and establishing the rule of law.