Albania
presidential elections
20/07/2007
Sources: Setimes.com; electionguide.org
Election Summary
Democratic Party member Bamir Topi was elected on July 20th 2007 to succeed Alfred Moisiu as Albania's president, after four rounds of voting. The deputy chief of the ruling Democratic Party received 85 votes in the 140-seat parliament -- one more than the required constitutional minimum -- after some members of the Socialist-led coalition broke ranks and ignored a boycott that had scuttled three earlier rounds.
According to the Albanian constitution, the president is elected by parliament. A candidate requires three-fifths of the vote in parliament -- if no candidate reaches this after five votes, there must be new elections to the Assembly. Early elections must also be held if there is no vote on any candidate by the third attempt during the first round of voting.
In the first two rounds of voting -- on June 20th and June 27th -- Topi and former Prime Minister Fatos Nano were the candidates, but neither could garner the necessary votes. In the third round, a new candidate -- centrist Democratic Alliance Party member Neritan Ceka -- joined the race, supported by signatures of 20 members of parliament.
Nano came in last during the third round -- on July 14th -- and was eliminated from the race. On July 20th, Topi received 85 votes, while Ceka received five votes.