SHOTLIST: TIRANA, ALBANIA (MAY 11, 2025) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS PREPARING BALLOT BOX RESULT REPORTSTIRANA, ALBANIA - MAY 11: Voting in Albania's general elections has officially ended, with polling stations closing at 7 p.m. local time after opening at 7 a.m. Earlier reports from the Central Election Commission put turnout at 41.37% by 6 p.m., with more than 3.7 million registered voters eligible to cast their ballots. This is the 11th general election since the fall of communism in 1991. A total of 53 political parties and three pre-election coalitions were competing for the 140 seats in Albania's parliament. The ruling Socialist Party (PS), led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, is seen as the frontrunner according to recent opinion polls. The main opposition Democratic Party (PD), led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, also remains a strong contender, running as part of the 25-strong Great Albanian Alliance. Other parties in the race include the Euro-Atlantic Coalition, the Party of Opportunity (Partia Mundesia), the Common Movement Party (Levizja Bashke), the Albania Is Happening Initiative (Nisma Shqiperia Behet), the Social Democratic Party, the Homeland Movement (Levizja Atdheu), the Albanian National Alliance and the New Democracy Alliance. Some 100 international observers from 31 countries, under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), monitored the election process. Under Albanian electoral law, parties must pass a 1% threshold to be represented in parliament. The diverse nation is home to ethnic groups such as Macedonians, Greeks, Montenegrins, Vlachs, Bosniaks, Serbs, Bulgarians, Egyptians and Roma. Religiously, the country is home to Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Bektashis, Protestants and others. Unofficial preliminary results are expected around midnight.