Vote recounts finalized in 4 major districts: Democrats lose more ballots than they gained
Albania’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has completed the vote recount process in the four major districts of Tirana, Fier, Elbasan, and Durrës, following opposition demands to verify the integrity of the May 11 parliamentary elections.
Why is this important: Ironically, the Democratic Party that challenged the results turned out to have gained the most from inaccurate vote counts. The recounts revealed that PD had benefitted from more misallocated votes than any other political force. Although these discrepancies were attributed by the CEC to human error by ballot counters, they have not changed the final result or the number of parliamentary seats awarded. In some cases, votes appeared to have been shifted between candidates from the same party, raising fresh concerns about internal vote trafficking.
Context: In Fier, the recount led to the discovery that one candidate had unjustifiably secured a parliamentary mandate over another from the same party. However, the rightful winner declined to accept the seat, closing any chance of altering the mandate distribution. DP lost 147 votes in Fier, while SP (Socialist Party) gained 30.
In Tirana, DP lost 612 votes while SP lost 318. Candidate Ilir Alimehmeti, who previously accused electoral staff of transferring votes to rivals, was found to have received 137 unjustified votes. Meanwhile, Olta Xhaçka narrowly retained her lead over Blerina Gjylameti, who closed the gap to just 70 votes.
In Durrës, DP lost 18 votes while SP lost only five. A partial recount removed 86 votes from former prosecutor Arjan Ndoja and added 12 to Aulon Kalasa—changes too small to impact seat allocation.
CEC’s Complaints and Sanctions Commission (KAS) noted recurring vote shifts within party lines in Tirana as likely due to counting mistakes, but flagged the Fier case as more troubling. Some members of the commission suggested the irregularities could constitute electoral crimes.
What’s next: KAS will meet Monday to decide whether the elections in these districts can be certified as valid, or if further measures are warranted.
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