Albanian parliamentary election, 2005

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Albania
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Albania held parliamentary elections on July 3, 2005 for all 140 seats in the unicameral Assembly of the Republic. 100 seats were elected in single-member constituencies and 40 by a separate proportional ballot on a nationwide basis. The results showed a victory for the opposition Democratic Party (PD) and its allies, prominently the Republican Party (PR). Former president Sali Berisha beaome prime minister as a result of the election.

The proper conduct of the election was seen as crucial in maintaining Albania's eventual EU hopes. For the most part, election day was peaceful, but OSCE monitors said that the poll only partially complied with international standards, citing disorganization, improper procedures and "a few violent incidents." The Central Election Commission (CEC) received over 300 complaints.

On July 14 the CEC released final results for 97 constituencies as well as the tentative national proportional results. The clear winners were the Democratic Party and its allies, though with many close constituency races between the PD and the governing Socialist Party of Albania (PSSh). In the proportional ballot, most voters chose minor parties rather than the two major parties. The only party to win both proportional and constituency-level seats was the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) of former prime minister Ilir Meta, as Meta himself won the party's lone constituency mandate. Despite this, the LSI did not fulfill pre-election expectations that it might emerge as a dealmaker in the next parliament.

[edit] Results

e•d Summary of the 3 July 2005 Assembly of Albania election results
Parties	Votes PR	%	Seats
Parties	Votes PR	%	Constituencies	PR	Total
Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë)	104,796	7.67	56	0	56
Socialist Party of Albania (Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë)	121,412	8.89	42	0	42
ALDM-National Front (Partia Balli Kombëtar Shqiptar)	457,143	33,46	0	18	18
ALDM-Republican Party of Albania (Partia Republikane e Shqipërisë)			-	11	11
ALDM-New Democratic Party (Partia Demokrate e Re)			-	4	4
ALDM-Christian Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Demokristiane e Shqipërisë)			-	2	2
ALDM-Liberal Democratic Union (Bashkimi Liberal Demokrat)			-	1	1
ALDM-Democratic National Front Party (Partia Ballik Kombëtar Demokrat)			-	-	-
ALDM-Albanian Democratic Union Party (Partia e Bashkimit Demokrat Shqiptar)			-	-	-
ALDM-Human Rights Liberation Movement (Lëvizja për të Drejtat dhe Liritë e Njeriut)			-	-	-
Social Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Socialdemokrate e Shqipërisë)	174,103	12.74	0	7	7
Socialist Movement for Integration (Lëvizja Socialiste për Intigrim)	114,798	8.40	1	4	5
Enviromentalist Agrarian Party (Partia Agrare Ambientaliste)	89,635	6.56	-	4	4
Democratic Alliance Party (Partia Aleanca Demokratike)	65,093	4.76	-	3	3
Social Democracy Party of Albania (Partia Demokracia Sociale e Shqipërisë)	57,998	4.25	-	2	2
Unity for Human Rights Party (Partia Bashkimi për të Drejtat e Njeriut)	56,403	4.13	-	2	2
Non-partisans			1		1
Total	1,366,226	100.0	100	40	140
Source: OSCE The candidates of the Alliance for Freedom, Justice and Welfare (Aliansa për Liri, Drejtësi dhe Mirëqenie;;, Republican Party of Albania and allies) supported the candidates of the PDS in the constituencies, as did some of the informal PS allie with the PS candidates. Given the number of irregularities in the first ballot, re-elections were held in two constituencies in Shkodra and Lushnja on 21 August. These results have been included.