TIRANA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The candidates of the ruling Socialist majority are leading in the mayoral elections held on Sunday in Albania, preliminary results published on the official website of the Albanian Central Elections Commission (CEC) showed on Monday.

According to the CEC data, ballot counting has ended in 24 out of 61 municipalities across the country and the ruling Socialist Party (SP) has won all 24 of them.

Regarding inaccuracies in some municipalities where the number of voters does not match that of the votes, Klement Zguri, head of the CEC, said on Monday that the data were reported by phone from the commissioners.

"Sunday's voter turnout is unofficial data and was referred by phone from the commissioners compared to past elections when the reporting was done electronically," Zguri said.

Zguri told reporters that if the results are contradictory, an administrative investigation will start.

Late on Sunday evening, CEC spokesperson Drilona Hoxhaj told a press conference that the election process ended peacefully all over the country.

"A total of 771,863 people used their vote on Sunday, with a voting turnout of 21.6 percent," Hoxhaj said.

Speaking to reporters and his supporters in a press conference on Sunday evening, Albanian Prime Minister and SP leader Edi Rama declared that June 30 was the day when the victory went to "the future, the state and citizens."

"June 30 was the day of an Albania that faced for several months' political division, which was inspired, encouraged and organized to stop the moving forward towards the European social normality, the democratic cohabitation and the integrity of Albania," Rama said.

Moreover, Rama underlined that during Sunday's elections the winner was the future of Albania, and the loser was the Albania of yesterday.

The Prime Minister declared that he is ready to hold dialogue with the opposition and work together for the opening of accession negotiation with the European Union in October, adding that the opposition must stop insulting Albania in foreign languages.

Reacting to elections, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party Lulzim Basha told reporters that 85 percent of Albanians refused to vote in this farce elections organized by the majority.

"Albanians abandoned Rama's facade. Eighty-five percent of the Albanians refused these polls and Rama was abandoned even by his socialists who voted less than in 2017," Basha said, adding that the situation will change soon.

Ballot counting for the new mayors and city councils is underway in other municipalities across Albania. Some 3.5 million Albanians were eligible to vote on Sunday to elect mayors and city councils' members in 61 districts. Enditem

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