DW: Democratic Party Loses 25 April Elections

After losing the parliamentary election for the third time in a row, the resignation of Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha is required. Meanwhile, the second phase of vote counting has begun for candidates for MPs.

The Socialist Party (PS) has won the 2021 parliamentary elections that took place last Sunday, 25 April. On Wednesday, (28.04) began the second phase of the vote counting process for MPs.

According to data from the Central Election Commission, (KQZ) The SP has won 49 per cent of the vote, which translates into 74 parliamentary mandates in the 140-seat parliament. Its opponent, the Democratic Party, has won 39 per cent, translated into 59 mandates, the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) 4 mandates and the Social Democratic Party, (PSD) 3 mandates. The new parties have not caught the threshold to have their representatives in Parliament.

The SP's victory, with over 50 per cent of the 140 seats in the new Parliament, gives it the third consecutive government mandate to govern alone, without being obliged to make an alliance with the other 3 political forces to be represented in Parliament. Socialist Party supporters celebrate victory by violating pandemic restrictions.

At the celebration of victory in Sknobre Square, on Tuesday evening, (27.04), with thousands of SP supporters breaking disparagement measures, SP chairman and Prime Minister Rama named the third governing mandate “mandat of national megaproject”. “Albania of this decade, becomes Balkan champion in tourism and agro-turism. With 4 gates from heaven and 4 from the sea that Albania could open in the next 5-6 years,” he said meaning new airports and ports and invited The DP co-operates to realise this national megaproject.

Lulzim Basha resignation required

The loss of elections is the third time in a row for the DP, the largest opposition party. Her chairman, Lulzim Basha, admitted defeat last night and declared that “would continue the fight for democracy”. He accused the Socialists of manipulating the election process.

Official sources from the CEC suggest that DP Secretary for Election Affairs Ivi Kaso has officially asked the CEC to make available to the DP, the technology of extracting results in the voting counting process, and has pointed to serious irregularities in the numbering phase” outlined by DP observers.

In the DP last night, what27.04) came out the first voices that did not expect this data to be made available but now require the resignation of DP leader Lulzim Basha. Former President of the Republic Bujar Nishani, chairman of the DP National Council, named Basha last night (27.04 as “the example of ineptility and the model that the DP is destroying little by little” Through a post in the social media, Nishani demanded that “Bash take responsibility for his personal failure for eight years and let the DP go for refortification.” Even DP chairmanship member Fatball Kadili also called for Basha's resignation. In a post in social media, he stressed that “DP doesn't have time to waste. Before Albanians we have the mission for a new opposition!”, and set the candidacy in the race for the new DP chairman. /DW