EU leaders congratulated Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday after his party’s electoral victory, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailing his “great progress towards our Union”.
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“Let’s keep working closely together on EU reforms. Albania belongs in the EU!” von der Leyen said on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron likewise hailed Rama’s win, writing on X: “France will always stand alongside Albania on its European path.”
Rama’s Socialist Party won 52.1 per cent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 per cent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Central Election Commission.
The EU closely watched the vote, seen as a test of the democratic maturity of the Balkan country, by far the most Europe-oriented in the region, after decades of dictatorship.
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EU chiefs von der Leyen and Antonio Costa will be meeting Rama on Thursday in Tirana, which is hosting a Friday gathering of the European Political Community – a twice-yearly strategic forum bringing together 47 countries from inside and outside the EU.