TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Preliminary results show that the ruling Socialist Party is ahead in Albania’s parliamentary election. With half of the votes counted on Monday the left-wing Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama have won 49% of the votes, followed by the main opposition center-right Democratic Party of Lulzim Basha with 39%. An exit poll has projected that, despite the win, it is still unclear whether the Socialists will get 71 seats in the 140-seat parliament that would allow them to govern alone. Full results are expected Tuesday evening. The elections are considered a key milestone for the tiny Balkan country’s bid to launch full membership talks with the European Union.
