TIRANA – Nearly all ballots have been counted in Albania's general election and the ruling Socialist Party remained in the lead Tuesday with the possibility of forming a government on its own.
Prime Minister Edi Rama's Socialists have 49% of the votes, followed by Lulzim Basha's main opposition center-right Democratic Party with 39%, according to an official vote tally with more than 92% of the ballots counted.
Preliminary calculations show that Rama’s Socialists have captured more than 70 seats in the 140-seat parliament to govern alone.
Rama invited his supporters to go to Tirana's main Skanderbeg Square at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT; 12 p.m. EDT) in a “hug of victory.” Rama has vowed to boost tourism, energy, agriculture and digital projects in