TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s president on Thursday set May 11 as the date for the country’s next parliamentary election, and Albanians living in other countries will for the first time be able to cast ballots from overseas.
Albania's number of potential voters is 3.6 million even though the small Balkan country's current population is no more than 2.4 million. Emigrants will be able to cast ballots electronically or by mail, under a reform passed this year with support from both of the country's main political parties.
The elections will choose 140 representatives with terms of four years.
Albania’s ever-squabbling politics have been marked by continuous protests by the opposition accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists of corruption, manipulating earlier elections and usurping the powers of the judiciary.
The conservative Democratic Party and their supporters in an opposition coalition have been holding protests over the arrests of their leader Sali Berisha and former President Ilir Meta in separate corruption cases, saying the charges are politically motivated.
The Democrats have staged violent protests against the government since 2013, when they left power, and have asked for a technocratic caretaker Cabinet before the 2025 parliamentary election, a demand that has been rejected by the ruling Socialists.
In October, Albania started discussions with the European Union on how the country aligns with EU stances on the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions and the fight against corruption. Prime Minister Rama hopes that Albania can join the European Union by 2030.
Rama's Socialists are favored to win their fourth term in the May election because of divisions among the opposition, according to local polls.
The United States and the European Union have urged the opposition to resume a dialogue with the government, saying that violence won’t help the country integrate into the 27-nation EU bloc.
Post-communist Albania’s elections have always been contested and marred by irregularities, including vote-buying and the manipulation of ballot counts.