Socialist Party leads in early vote counts in Vorë and Pustec as first results come in

As polls closed in Albania’s May 11 parliamentary elections, initial results from a small number of voting centers are starting to emerge. The first tallies show the ruling Socialist Party (PS) with a strong lead in both Vorë and Pustec, two of the earliest areas to report vote counts.

Why is this important: These early results, though limited in scope, provide the first snapshot of voting trends in key regions. In Vorë, District of Tirana, where electronic voting was used, 14 ballot boxes have been counted so far. SP has secured 1,315 votes, compared to 893 for the Democratic Party (PD). In Pustec, District of Korça, three boxes were counted manually, with PS receiving 419 votes and PD 208.

While official results will be announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC), these preliminary figures suggest PS may have a comfortable lead in at least some districts. In Vorë, PS supporters began celebrating with fireworks shortly after the results were made public.

Context: The vote counting process began immediately after polls closed at 19:00. In Vorë, electronic voting allowed for faster processing of results, while in other areas like Pustec, traditional manual counting is underway. Results from other regions, as well as from diaspora ballots, are expected to be reported throughout the night and into Monday.

CEC officials emphasized that these early results represent only a small fraction of the national vote and should be interpreted with caution. Still, political parties are closely monitoring the data, particularly in districts considered competitive.

What else: As the counting continues, political leaders have called on their supporters to remain calm and await the full results. Full nationwide turnout figures will be published once counting concludes.