Albania's Rama seeks fourth term in election dominated by graft

11/5/2025 6:25

Albania holds parliamentary elections on Sunday in which prime minister Edi Rama is seeking an unprecedented fourth term in office after a campaign

dominated by promises to join the European Union and accusations of widespread graft.



Rama, in power as head of the Socialist Party since 2013, is favourite to win against his old rival, former prime minister Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party, bolstered in part by Rama's control over state institutions, a recent period of healthy economic growth and a largely popular image abroad.



But opposition to Rama has intensified in the past year over a perceived crackdown on the opposition, including Berisha, while Rama weathered a series of scandals of his own. These include the arrest of his ally, the mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj, this year on allegations of corruption and money laundering.



Veliaj and Berisha deny wrongdoing.



Rama has spent the last week reiterating his promise to join the EU by the end of the decade.