The first results of May 8 elections were made public.

The first surprising preliminary result came from the municipality of Himara, in southern Albania, where the controversial ethnic Greek Mayor Vasil Bollano lost to the Socialist Party candidate Gjergji Goro.

Bollano had controlled Himara for more than a decade and was often at odds with Tirana because of his nationalist rhetoric.

Himara was the only municipality in the country which had four candidates for mayors, two from the Greek minority parties and one each from the ruling Democrats and opposition Socialists.

In the rest of the country, the contest was divided between the candidates of the Socialist opposition-led ‘Alliance for the Future’ and the ruling Democratic Party’s ‘Alliance for Citizens.’

In Erseka, Ali Laho from the SP won with 1548 votes against Zhaneta Prifti from the “Alliance for the citizen”, who got 1232 votes. CEC confirmed the result.

The results were made public even in Peqin. Ilir Rrushi won with 1762 votes against Naim Teqe from the SP, who got 905 votes. In Puka, the DP’s candidate, Beqir Arifi is ahead. The counting process ended even in Rreshen, where the winner is Ndue Kola from the SP.

Candidate Agron Demushi won in Bajram Curri. The counting process also ended in Tepelena, and the winner was the SP. Meanwhile, from the votes that have been counted until now in Tirana, Basha gathered 7918 votes, and Rama gathered 9275 votes.

Until now, Vlora is headed by the candidate of the “Alliance for the future”, Shpetim Gjika, who has 280 votes. In Fier, the left-wing candidate, Baftjar Zeqaj, gathered 1338 votes against his rival, Ilir Bele, who got 948 votes. In Lushnja, the left-wing candidate has 300 votes more than his rival. In Lezha, the race is dominated by the “Alliance for the citizen”.

In Elbasan, the left-wing candidate, Qazim Sejdini, is ahead of his rival with 3346 votes. In Berat, the Democrat candidate has 635 votes against the Socialist candidate, who has 437 votes. In Korca, left-wing candidate, Niko Peleshi, has gathered more votes. The same is true even in Himara. Meanwhile, in the city of Kukes, the right-wing candidate has 1884 votes and the Socialist candidate has only 1258 votes.

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), 50.9 percent of voters participated in the May 8 elections.

SP begins celebration, declares victory of elections

“Tirana is without doubt the locomotive of our victory. In 38 voting centers for 7 mini-municipalities in Tirana, Edi Rama has an advantage of 10 percent of the votes. In Himara, the counting process was concluded with the victory of Socialist candidate, Gjergji Goro. Victory is also sealed in Rreshen, Tepelena, Erseka, Permet, Saranda, Gramsh and in Krume of Has.

We are in the road of victory in Elbasan, Vlora, Korca, Fier, Lushnja, Gjirokastra, at a time when the counting process has just started in Durres and Pogradec, where we also expect victory. We have an appeal for Berisha:

‘Sir, you lost the elections and you lost the standards. It is high time to stop dragging the counting process in Tirana, where people have carried their duty all the night toward citizens and toward law, by counting every single vote without loosing time.

Meanwhile, the supporters of the so-called “Alliance for the citizen” have left their duty. The citizens deserve to learn the result as soon as possible. This intenational dragging is offensive even for them and our country does not deserve this in the eyes of the international community, the intervention of which we ask for preserving the integrity of elections; we ask them to oblige the losers to accept their loss,” said Socialist Deputy Mimi Kodheli.