Voting begins for local by-elections in 5 municipalities

2025-11-09 07:41:16Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Voting begins for local by-elections in 5 municipalities

Partial local elections are being held today in 5 municipalities across the country. 334,539 thousand citizens with the right to vote will elect new mayors in Vlora, Berat, Cërrik, Mat and Tepelena, while 13 candidates are running for the leadership of these municipalities.

473 polling stations opened at 07:00 and citizens will have the opportunity to express their will until 18:00, when, as stipulated by the Electoral Code, the polling stations close.

612 police officers have been deployed to ensure the smooth running of the election process, and they have also taken over the Voting Centers. In Vlora, the number of citizens with the right to vote is approximately 172 thousand, in Berat over 82 thousand, in Cerrik approximately 39 thousand, in Mat 29 thousand, and in Tepelena, 12 thousand.

For the first time, in the municipality of Tepelena, artificial intelligence is expected to be applied as a test in the vote counting. The result will be broadcast online and will be compared to the manual counting by the commissioners.

The election campaign for these elections passed in silence, as the candidates held their meetings without any protagonism, while the two leaders of the main parties, Edi Rama and Sali Berisha, did not participate in any rallies.

In these elections, Berisha's DP and allies do not have candidates registered under their slogan, but have declared support for several names who have declared themselves independents, who will face the 5 socialists but also several other names.

The mandate of the new mayors will be only one and a half years, until local elections are held in the spring of 2027.

Number of voters by municipality
Vlorë 171,895 voters
Berat 82,161
Cërrik 38,724
Mat 29,092
Tepelena 12,667


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