Albanian preliminary polls results show clear win for ruling Socialists

Albania’s Socialist party leader Edi Rama looks set for a fourth term (Vlasov Sulaj/AP)

Preliminary results in Albania’s parliamentary election on Tuesday give a clear victory to the ruling Socialist Party, which attracted voters supporting the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and prime minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term.

With about 97% of the votes counted, Mr Rama’s left-wing Socialists got 52.09% of the votes, or 82 seats in the 140-seat Assembly, followed by the opposition centre-right Democratic Party-led coalition of Sali Berisha with 34.43%, or 52 seats. Three other small parties will take the rest.