Albania holds local elections

STORY: Albania holds local elections DATELINE: May 15, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:27 LOCATION: Tirana CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of voters waiting outside a polling station in Tirana, Albania 2. various of voters casting their ballots at polling stations 3. various of some Albanian opposition candidates casting their votes 4. various of President Bajram Begaj casting his vote 7. various of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama casting his vote 8. various of Erjon Veliaj, mayor of Tirana, casting his vote STORYLINE: Local elections were held in Albania on Sunday to elect mayors and councils for the country's 61 municipalities. The competition was between the ruling Socialist Party of Albania led by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Together We Win coalition. The opposition coalition comprises the center-right Democratic Party, the Freedom Party and several other smaller partners. Of all the 23,907 candidates, 144 ran for mayors, and the rest for municipal council members. Voting started at 7 a.m.