Reuters election article in Albania: Rama towards Fourth Term, Favour to Win

Albania's “Prime Minister Edi Rama is on track for a fourth term, while preliminary results showed his Socialist Party was significantly leading in Sunday's” parliamentary elections, the article begins Foreign media.

The Socialist Party won 53% of the vote, with 30% of the ballots counted, showed results from the election commission, well ahead of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party, which received 34%.

Rama, in power since 2013, is the favourite to win, supported in part by an influential network built over 12 years in power, a recent period of healthy economic growth and a largely popular image abroad, follows Periscope.

If the supremacy remains, it will give Rama another four years to continue his mission to bring the Balkan country to the European Union by 2030 -- a promise he focused on his campaign, but that experts believe is too optimistic.

This would also prove Rama's popularity in the country following a third troubled mandate that suffered turmoil due to a perceived crackdown on the opposition, including Berisha, and a series of corruption scandals.

The “Fittor is the expected”, said pensioner Haxhi Koleci. “They did a good job so far, we've moved far from where we were in 2013. ”

About 200,000 Albanians living abroad voted Sunday, the first time the diaspora has been involved in the process. Full results are expected Monday or Tuesday. /tch