Polls close in Albanians election dominated by uphill efforts to join the EU

Polls close in Albanians election dominated by uphill efforts to join the EU World May 11, 2025 6:51 PM EDT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanians voted Sunday in parliamentary elections after a boisterous campaign dominated by the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term in office.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Sunday and vote counting is expected to conclude within 48 hours in an election in which 140 lawmakers will be selected to four-year terms.

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Because of mass emigration, the country of 2.8 million people has about 3.7 million eligible voters. For the first time, those in the diaspora — about 191,000 so far this time — cou