During the evening of Monday 26 June, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn hailed the fact that the previous day's parliamentary elections in Albania had taken place "in a calm and orderly manner".
"Citizens benefited from a broad political offer at an important stage of Albania's EU integration process", Mogherini and Hahn said in a press release. The smooth conduct of elections is one of the criteria for Tirana being able to open its EU accession negotiations.
According to the preliminary findings of the OSCE's Election Observation Mission, the electoral contestants were able to campaign freely and fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression were respected. Similarly, the electoral framework generally provided an adequate basis for the conduct of democratic elections.
Mogherini and Hahn nevertheless warned that they took note of the reserves expressed by observers regarding the politicisation of electoral bodies and the inconsistent application of the law. "We expect appropriate follow up to the preliminary findings of the Election Observation Mission to be ensured, notably regarding allegations of vote-buying and pressure on voters, as well as interference by unauthorised party activists, which can undermine public confidence in elections", they added.
Mogherini and the Commission announced that, "once the electoral process has been completed", they would engage with the new government to support the reform process and move forward on the EU integration process. "The continuation of the justice reform and the fight against drug trafficking and cultivation will be of particular importance in this respect", they stated, adding that they were look forwarding to continuing their partnership with Albania to promote regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations.
According to the near final results, the Socialist party of Albania's current prime minister Edi Rama is said to have won the elections widely with 49% of the vote. It is therefore reported that it could have the absolute majority of 74 of the 140 seats in parliament. Turnout is reported to have been below 50%. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)