Edi Rama’s wide victory show the results of the elections in Albania with 96% of the ballots now.

According to official results, the Albanian prime minister has also secured a fourth term in power, as the Socialist Party (PS), which is leading, is gathering a safe lead. At the same time, the opposition denounces fraud.

With a counted 96% of ballot papers, the Socialist Party garnered 52% of the vote, compared to 34% for the Democratic Party (PD)according to the electoral committee. This result translates into 82 seats for the PS in the parliament of 140 members, compared to 52 for the PD, reinforcing the parliamentary majority of Rama.

If confirmed, the result gives Rama a comfortable margin of forming a government and allows it to continue its efforts to integrate Albania into the European Union by 2030, a goal that many analysts consider optimistic because of the extensive reforms required, in particular to fight corruption.

However, the validity of the process is questioned. International observers have spoken of abuse of public resources and power by the ruling party, while the Albanian Special Prosecutor’s Office announced that it was investigating 39 election cases, mainly to acquire votes. It was not known which factions are being investigated.

PD leader, former President and Prime Minister Sali Berisha, rejected the results and called on a protest on May 16, the date on which the European leadership is gathered in Tirana for a summit, denouncing fraud without showing evidence.

“We are never going to accept these elections-never,” he said at a press conference, describing Rama as a “drug-dictator”. In a statement to Reuters, the Socialist Party denied any irregularity and responded by calling 80 -year -old Berisha “old, desperate, former communist”, a particularly commentary in a country with a painful communist past.