Municipality of Tirana, Data on Local Elections 2023: Participation, Invalid votes and Outcomes, trends compared to the 2015 Elections, List of Municipal Councilman

There are 699,766 registered citizens, bestowed by the law with the right to vote in the Municipality of Tirana, in the elections of May 14, 2023. Of these, 302,374 was the number of voters who voted for the mayoral seat, whereas 302,356 voted for the Municipal Council. Which means that, 18 more people have chosen to vote for the position of Mayor, but not for the members of the Municipal Council.

The participation expressed in percentage for the Municipality of Tirana is 43.21%, or about 5 percentage points higher than the national average. The higher percentage of participation in Tirana also, indirectly, offers a clue regarding the problem of internal migration from other municipalities. Although the participation rate for the municipality of Tirana is higher than the average in the country, when compared to the local elections in 2015, when it was 50.2%, marks a decline of 7 percentage points.

In the Municipality of Tirana, there were 11,936 invalid votes registered and a number of 339 wrongly placed ballots in the local elections. Compared to the 2015 local elections, when the number of invalid votes was 6 180 and there were 114  wrongly cast ballots, we find a higher number of voters who committed irregularities, with or without being conscious, with their ballot. So, the number of invalid votes has almost doubled.

As for the elections for the Municipal Council, there were fewer invalid votes than for the Mayoral candidates, namely 10,331 invalid votes and 343 wrongly cast ballots. This number is not much different from the result of 2015, when there were 10,875 invalid votes registered and 109 wrongly cast ballots.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Mr. Erion Veliaj, incumbent and candidate of the Socialist Party, won the municipality of Tirana collecting about 55% of the votes, or 158,852 votes. In comparison, the Together We Win coalition’s candidate, Mr. Belind Kellici, secured only 100,422 votes or 34.6% of the total vote. The Together We Win coalition consists of the Freedom Party (former Socialist Movement for Integration), the fraction of the Democratic Party headed by Mr. Sali Berisha, from the Union Party for Human Rights (PBDNJ) and the Christian Democratic Party (PDK).

Another candidate, Arlind Qori, from the Together Movement (a political party created shortly before the elections) was voted for mayor by 13,851 citizens of Tirana (4.8%). Following in fourth place in the ranking is the Official Democratic Party’s candidate, headed by Mr. Enkeleid Alibeaj. The candidate, Mr. Roland Bejko, collected 12,398 votes or 4.3% of the Tirana’s electorate, which participated in the voting.

Also, part of the Tirana’s mayoral were also Mr. Marko Dajti, representing the Left Front, who received 2,809 votes and Mrs. Lajla Pernaska of the Justice, Integration and Unity Party, who secured 2,107 votes.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Regarding the election for the Municipal Council-members, the Socialist Party (Edi Rama) received more than half of the votes, namely 147,267 votes or 50.4% of the total valid ballots. The Together We Win coalition managed to secure only 67,999 votes or 23.3% of the total registered valid ballots. Meanwhile, a number of 19,827 citizens in the municipality of Tirana, or 6.8% of the total, voted for the Democratic Party candidates of the city council (Enkelejd Alibeaj). The Social-Democratic Party (Tom Doshi) emerged with 12,796 votes in the May 14, 2023 elections for the Municipal Council seats. Whereas, the party created shortly before the elections, the Together Movement (Arlind Qori) collected the votes of 7,538 citizens in the bid for the Municipal Council. It was closely followed, with 6,993 of ballots collected, by Nisma Thurje (Endrit Shabani).

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The ballots, converted into members for the Municipal Councils, favoured the Socialist Party with a majority of 34 council seats or 55.7% of the valid votes collected in the Municipal Councils’ election in Tirana, for a mandate lasting from 2023-2027. The Together We Win coalition secured only 15 council members or 24.6% of councilor mandates. The Official Democratic Party emerged from the elections with 4 city council members and the Social-Democratic Party with 3 members.

The Party for Justice, Integration and Unity, the Republican Party, the Movement for National Development, Nisma Thurje and the Together Movement all secured one member in the Tirana’s City Council.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The ratio of ballots needed to secure one council seat is higher for the Official Democratic Party, with an average of 4,957 votes for one mandated member.

The coalition Together We Win follows with an ratio of 4,533 votes needed to elect one council member.

Instead, the Socialist Party exchanged a seat in the Municipal Council with an average of 4,331 votes. The Social-Democratic Party has the lowest ratio of votes per councilperson secured, with 4,265 votes needed.

Among the political subjects, which managed to lock 1 council seat, the Together Movement Party leads with the majority of ballots, namely 7,538 votes, followed by Nisma Thurje with 6,993 votes.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The candidate of the Socialist Party and the current mayor of Tirana secured more votes than the Socialist Party in the May 14th elections. More specifically, Erion Veliaj secured about 8% more votes than the Socialist Party, or 11,585 votes.

The Socialist Party managed to be voted by 50.4% of the citizens of Tirana in the bid for Municipal Council seats, compared to 54.7% of voters, or 4.3 percentage points more, who confirmed Veliaj for another term as mayor.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

We Win Coalition, Belind Kelliçi, and the coalition he represented is more significant. Kelliçi secured 100,422 votes as mayor, while the coalition won only 67,999 votes for city council seats, i.e. about 48% more.

In the case of comparisons of mayor vs. party s council seats ballots, it should be taken into account that only 6 parties participated in the mayoral elections, whereas there were 17 political parties that participated in the Municipal Council elections. Therefore, there is a disparity in the comparison, but they can serve as an indication of the influence wielded, in the electorate, by the candidate versus the party.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Mr. Erion Veliaj collected 1383 fewer votes in 2023, compared to 2015 local elections. Expressed in percentage, Veliaj has improved his voting outcome, namely, from 53.6% of valid votes secured in 2015 to 54.7% in the elections of May 14, 2023.We should bear in mind that in 2015, Erion Veliaj was a candidate of the Alliance for European Albania (ASHE) which consisted of 37 parties in the coalition, whereas, in 2023, he only was the candidate of the Socialist Party. Part of ASHE in 2015 was also the former Socialist Movement for Integration, which nowadays is the main party leading the Together We Win Coalition.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The candidate of the Together We Win Coalition, Belind Kelliçi, in 2023, secured the vote of 16,206 less people than the candidate of the Democratic Party in 2015, Mr. Halim Kosova (Kelliçi’s 100,422 votes against Mr. Kosova’s 116,628 votes).

Expressed as a percentage of valid votes, we conclude that Mr. Kosovo was voted by 39% of the registered valid votes, while Mr. Kelici was voted by 34.6% of them, or 4.4 percentage points less.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The number of citizens which voted, in the district of Tirana, including ballots cast in the Municipalities of Tirana, Vorë, Kamëz, Rrogozhinë, and Kavajë, was 384,287. We found that the Socialist Party received 186,059 votes or 48.4% of the district’s ballots for council members, while the Together We Win Coalition managed to secure only 23.2% or 89,186 votes. The Official Democratic Party collected 27,080 votes or 7% of the total vote, followed by the Social Democratic Party with 17,663 votes or 4.6% of the total in the district.

If the same votes were cast in the general election, to choose Members of the Parliament, it would result in the Socialist Party having 3 more MP’s than in 2021, i.e. 21 in total from the 18 elected in the 2021 elections. The Together We Win coalition would win only 10 MP’s, whereas the Official Democratic Party would secure 3 MP’s. The last political subject, which would have secured a seat in the Parliament would be the Social Democratic Party, with 2 MP’s.

The votes were converted into the number of MP’s based on Article 162 of the Electoral Code.

Source: CEC
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Other articles offering more data, details and analysis regarding the Electoral Process can be accessed on the Open Data Albania website, the Electoral Processes section.

Download excel: Municipality of Tirana, Data on Local Elections 2023: Participation, Invalid votes and Outcomes, trends compared to the 2015 Elections, List of Municipal Councilman
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Contributed by: Ilir Brasha
Translated by:Rezarta Cushaj