The State Electoral Commission’s initial reports show that the DUI candidate Hekuran Duka overcame his first round defeat and will win the race for Mayor of Debar.

Bekim Pocesta from the Alliance of Albanians (AA) is down 140 votes behind Duka – both won a little over 4,000 votes. AA said that DUI is continuing its campaign of pressure and intimidation against the voters and opposition activists, that culminated last week when a BESA member of Parliament went missing just in time to prevent the vote of no confidence in the SDSM – DUI Government.
Police closed off one of the two main roads leading into Debar yesterday, allegedly for road repairs, that prevented some citizens from voting.

The race in Debar was delayed due to irregularities in the first round. AA denied DUI the seat in Gostivar, and BESA beat them in Tetovo, meaning that even though DUI won significantly more votes than the Albanian opposition parties, it lost key urban centers.