Albanian PM and head of the Democratic Party (DP), Sali Berisha, has decided to resign from his functions at the party, which he chaired for the last 22 years, after losing a parliamentary election at the weekend, PM’s press office informed.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has completed the ballot counting process on Wednesday evening, local daily Shqiptarja informed. The preliminary results showed the Socialist-led coalition “Alliance for a European Albania” (ASHE) winning 84 mandates in the 140-seat parliament against 56 seats for DP-led coalition – “Alliance for Employment, Prosperity and Integration” (APMI).

In terms of individual parties, the Socialist Party (SP) received 41.5% of the votes. The party has won 66 mandates, up from 65 in the previous general elections in 2009. SP’s coalition partner, the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), won 10.5% of the votes, almost double the results from the previous polls, translating into 16 mandates, as compared to only 4 in 2009. Two other members of ASHE, the Christian Democratic Party of Albania and the Unity for Human Rights Party would get a single mandate too.

The final outcome of the elections will likely be certified by Albania’s highest electoral court, the Electoral College of the Court of Appeals, as the CEC does not have the qualified majority of five members, as specified in the electoral code, local TV Top Channel informed.