Lulzim Basha

The head of Albania's main centre-right opposition Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, on Monday said his party would soon submit a draft law seeking to ban the display of communist symbols in public.

The Democrats' leader said his party was seeking help from German partner parties in order to follow the same model that Germany has, in banning Nazi symbols.

The fallout from the June 25 election in Albania - which Edi Rama's Socialists won - continues to reverberate, as the head of the third-placed party, the Socialist Movement for Integration, LSI, Petrit Vasil, resigned on Thursday, proposing Monika Kryemadhi as his successor.

In a polarized political environment, the election process in Albania was concluded one hour after the scheduled closing time, as the committee responsible for them gave a small extension.

Albanians head to the polls on Sunday to choose between 18 parties and decide which one - or ones - should run the country for the next four years.

The number of parties on the ballot has shrunk compared with the last general election in 2013, when voters had a choice between no less than 66 parties.

Albanian police said on Monday they are working with the prosecutors to find out what happened at an opposition Democratic Party rally on Saturday in Tirana, after which about 140 people complained of suffering mysterious ailments.

Problems included red, swollen eyes, skin irritations, vomiting and difficulties with breathing.

Albanian parties are heading into the coming elections alone, without the usual big pre-election coalitions, potentially making the process of forming a government after June 25 more difficult to predict.

Three months of political stalemate in Albania ended early on Thursday after the two main political leaders, Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha, said they had reached an accord on the participation of all parties in the forthcoming elections.

Opposition groups led by the Democratic Party, are preparing for a major rally in the Albanian capital, Tirana, on May 13, raising fears in some quarters that violence could occur.

Albanian opposition parties plan to radicalize their protests against the government of Edi Rama starting from Monday, when they intend to block all national roads for an hour.

Albania's Central Election Commission on Thursday refused to postpone a deadline for parties and coalitions to register for upcoming general election in June, leaving the ruling parties heading into the polls alone.

The general elections are therefore set to go ahead without the presence of opposition parties, which refused to register for the vote.