Preparations ahead of Albania local elections

On June 30, local elections will take place in which about 3.5 million people will participate to elect their representatives. The elections are held to test the democracy rate of the ex-communist state of Albania.

Tirana: Democracy in the ex-communist state of Albania will be tested on Sunday when voters head to the polls for local elections.

The opposition, supported by the country's president, is boycotting the vote over its claims of government corruption and demands for a new parliamentary election, but the Albanian government is pressing ahead.

Holding a free and fair election has been post-communist Albania's Achilles' heel, but it is considered key for the launch of EU membership talks for the nation of 2.9 million, which already belongs to NATO.

About 3.5 million Albanians are eligible to elect mayors and town hall councils, or parliaments to run 61 districts for the next four years.

The number of eligible voters is notably higher than the entire population of Albania, due to the number of people from the Albanian diaspora in other countries.

There is no provision for voting abroad, however.

Voting starts at 7a.m. (0500 GMT) and ends at 7p.m. (1700 GMT) on Sunday.

Preliminary election results are not expected until Monday.