Preliminary results in Albania's municipal elections show the country's leftist majority is ahead in most municipalities, including the capital Tirana and other main cities, AP reported. About one-third of the ballots from Sunday's election have been counted so far. Albanians were voting to elect 61 mayors and 1,600 municipal counselors in a new trimmed-down municipal structure. With a turnout of about 48 percent, the vote was considered a key step toward convincing the European Union to launch membership negotiations with Albania, which was granted candidate status last year.
