TIRANA, Albania (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.

Almost 200,000 Albanians abroad voted by postal vote - The candidates' campaign and the country's EU membership ambitions

A near-complete ballot count shows the Socialist Party secured 52 percent of the votes or 82 of 140 parliamentary seats.

Albanians voted in parliamentary elections on Sunday with prime minister Edi Rama seeking an unprecedented fourth term after a campaign dominated by promises to join the European Union and accusations of widespread corruption.

Albania’s main opposition leader has hired Trump-linked campaign consultants and a lobbying firm to help him in the country's May 11 parliamentary election.

Rama’s main challenger is Sali Berisha, a hoarse-voiced and energetic 80-year-old survivor of Albania’s tumultuous politics. Berisha, a former president and prime minister, has led the conservative Democratic Party of Albania since its founding in 1990 ...

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama was on course for an unprecedented fourth term in office on Monday as partial results showed his Socialist Party with a commanding lead in Sunday's parliamentary election.

Preliminary results in Albania's parliamentary election on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead, with voters supporting the country's uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama's bid for a fourth term.

Under the party slogan, “Albania 2030 in EU, Only with Edi and SP,” Rama insists that full EU accession is possible by 2030 with annual funding of 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) upon joining.