Almost 3.6 million Albanians were called upon to elect their mayors and city councillors in 61 municipalities in the country Sunday last week. However, only 1.4 million people exercised their right to vote. By winning 53 mayoral offices, the Socialists were able to further consolidate their position of power in the country. The Democratic Party, which had boycotted the last local elections in 2019, contested separately this time due to internal strife. Only the joint coalition of Sali Berisha (Democratic Party) and Ilir Meta (Freedom Party) was able to win city hall in seven municipalities. The officially registered Democratic Party won only a few mandates in the municipal councils. While things remained mostly calm on election day, there were accusations of electoral fraud and vote buying, as in the previous elections.
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