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Albanians vote in mayoral polls boycotted by opposition

30 June 2019 14:52 (UTC +04:00)

Voting in Albanian mayoral elections that opposition parties are boycotting began calmly on Sunday after Western countries warned against violence, although some abstainers mocked those who were casting a vote with songs from the country’s communist past, APA reports citing Reuters.

European bodies and the United States have called on Albanian parties to avoid violence during the elections for mayors of 61 towns and cities, which President Ilir Meta has decreed illegal because they are not sufficiently competitive.

In half the contests, the boycott led by the main opposition Democratic Party will leave the candidate from Prime Minister Edi Rama’s ruling Socialist Party running unopposed.

Mindful of those warnings, Democratic Party leader Lulzim Bashaw told his supporters late on Saturday: “Do not fall prey to the instinct of violence! Do not fall prey to the provocations for violence!”

Democratic Party supporters were accused last week of vandalizing polling stations, located mostly in schools, and torching election equipment.