Albanian Election Sees Old Rivals, New Parties and an Ambitious Promise of European Union Membership

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

68% : 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.
63% : EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is pressing Albania to continue reforms -- particularly in governance and anti-corruption efforts -- to stay on track for EU membership.
60% : Sweeping judicial reforms launched in 2016 with support from the EU and U.S. led to investigations and prosecutions of senior officials.
58% : Black and blue baseball caps Rama, 60, secured the start of EU membership negotiations last October and is relying heavily on that momentum.
48% : Berisha often appears at rallies wearing a blue baseball cap marked with a No. 1, the party's position on the ballot.
47% : Rama's Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years, sticking to an ambitious pledge while battling conservative opponents with public recriminations and competing promises of pay hikes.
46% : He argues that Albania still isn't ready for EU membership.
43% : " Corruption and justice Despite Albania's significant improvement in Transparency International's corruption index -- rising from 116th in 2013 to 80th in the ranking in 2024 -- corruption remains the country's Achilles' heel and a stumbling block for European integration.
41% : In response, Rama sports a black cap emblazoned with the Socialist Party's No. 5. Economic and tourism pledges Economic concerns have been central to the campaign.
38% : A code of conduct introduced by the Albanian ombudsman to encourage ethical campaigning fell flat as political discourse grew increasingly toxic.

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