The real "theft" of the May 11 elections!

2025-05-14 16:12:00, Editorial CNA

The real "stealing " of the May 11 elections lies directly in the electoral system, in the division of votes. All the rest, i.e. the accusations of buying, selling, misuse of the administration or the "Bulgarian train", etc., do not change the sovereign's decision. This is correct and proven.

Precisely because of this system, which is actually totally deformed. If we look at the percentages and mandates that are translated, the Socialist Party turns out to have 52.15% at the national level, it is understood that by adding the remaining votes, the votes of the diaspora. With about 730 thousand votes, the Socialists have preserved their "electoral warehouse". But these 52.15% of the votes, go from 83 to 85 seats in parliament, which are much more than the percentage of mandates gives. But the formula adds to it.

The real "theft" of the May 11 elections!

This is where the theft lies!

So, the Socialists, with 52.15%, should have had 72, 73 or 74 seats in parliament. They have 52.15%, but they are going to 84 seats in parliament or 85.

The real "theft" of the May 11 elections!

Why does this phenomenon happen?

It happens because the percentage is divided at the regional level, so the votes are divided into mandates according to each district, that is, the 12 cells or electoral units that Albania has. Meanwhile, in the national vote, the problem is different. Let's take Agron Shehaj's Mundësia Party as an example. It has about 50 thousand votes, but it only has 2 mandates at the national level, which it received in Tirana, due to the 20 thousand votes it received in the capital. But the other votes go to the socialists' basket.

The Democrats have 34.26%, about 52 to 53 seats in parliament. More or less, we are again faced with the same phenomenon.

The same situation with Lapaj, who has a lot of votes. The same situation with Tom Doshi, who has 3.38% and about 47 thousand votes, while the seat has 3. All together, the small ones, Nisma Thurje, Shqipëria Bëhet, Lëvizja Bashkë, PSD, Mundësia, Dash Shehi's Party with about 5 thousand votes. All together they have 11.78% of the votes, according to official data from the CEC, but this is still not conclusive because the votes of the diaspora are missing. So, in total, they have 165,748 votes. Translated into mandates, they have received: 2 mandates Mundësia Party, 1 mandate "Shqipëria Bëhet", 1 mandate Lëvizja Bashkë, 3 mandates from Tom Doshi's party, so there are 7 mandates.

The real "theft" of the May 11 elections!

In fact, from the total votes, if calculated as a percentage and according to the number they received at the national level, the seats they are entitled to in parliament are about 20, or 3 times more.

And what happens? Another phenomenon!

With around 730 thousand votes, the Socialist Party receives 83 or 84 mandates, where one mandate goes from 8500 to 9000 votes, while if you calculate the votes of the Opportunity Party at the national level with around 50 thousand, it received 2 mandates and 2 mandates go to 16 thousand votes.

The same situation with Tom Doshi's PSD. The same situation with "Albania Becomes", Nisma Thurja and other small parties.

And all this consequence comes because of the regional proportional system, which this time has legally produced defective mandates for the majority, to the detriment of small parties.

The real "theft" of the May 11 elections!

How is it resolved?

The solution is very simple. A regional proportional system with national correction. At a minimum, national correction is needed to give what is due to small parties, but also to the opposition. Even the majority, with 52.15% of the votes, was entitled to 73 seats in parliament. Small parties have fewer seats than they have a percentage at the national level. So, those votes are unrepresented, while the socialists with fewer votes represent more citizens .

But, so far, this solution is not offered by the major parties because it would create an impasse in the formation of the government, not everyone can reach 51% of the votes, there could often be early elections, there could even be run-offs, which have already been removed from Albania's political concept.

May 11th Elections/ Here is the number of invalid ballots from voting in 12 districts
May 13, 20:17

But in fact, we are faced with results where, in percentage terms, there are parties that receive more seats in the Assembly, there are parties that have more representatives, there are parties whose votes are worth less, such as the case of the Socialist Party whose mandate ranges from 8,500-9,000 votes and parties whose mandate ranges from 15,000-20,000 votes.

This is a total deformation of the method of representation and this regional proportional system shows that its defect is simply to give as much security and extension as possible to the party in power, which is in the majority.

The real "theft" of the May 11 elections!

This is a fact, already proven. He gave Edi Rama a fourth mandate, with the same votes he had in 2021 or with fewer of them. Edi Rama today has more mandates. Meanwhile, the opposition, gathered in total, goes wheel by wheel with the mandates of Rama's socialists, but does not have these seats in the Assembly, it simply and only has them in percentage if they are all gathered together and they do not produce anything. Simply, in the end, Rama is prime minister with 83-85 mandates, due to a deformation that the electoral system brings and this can be called legal theft of mandates./CNA