International Forex Inforamtion

(RTTNews) - The results of Albania's parliamentary elections announced Monday by State Election Commission indicated that Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party and its coalition partners have won enough seats to form a government.

While the Democratic Party won 68 seats in the country's 140-seat parliament, their coalition partners Republican Party and the Party of Democratic Integration won one seat each. Meanwhile, the opposition Socialists and an ally manged to win only 66 seats.

Though the ruling alliance won enough seats in the general election to form a government, it fell one seat short of a majority. They made up the required numbers by forming an alliance with the Socialist Movement for Integration, a small leftist party that won four seats.

The newly formed alliance, the four-party coalition, consisting of the Democrats, Republican Party, the Party of Democratic Integration and Socialist Movement for Integration, now has secured 74 seats in the new parliament.

The announcement of the final results of the June 28 vote was stretched by a lengthy recount, prompted by opposition allegations that the elections were rigged to ensure victory for the ruling coalition. However, the Democrats have denied any wrongdoing.

In a preliminary report released earlier in the month, international election monitors had criticized the vote, stating that there were irregularities in the poll. They also alleged that political interference delayed the vote count. The monitors are due to submit a final report on the election and the counting process in eight weeks' time.

The election was considered a critical test to Albania's aspirations of joining the European Union. Experts say that the doubts regarding the conduct of the poll and the ballot counting process could seriously hurt Albania's EU accession ambitions.