Albanians turned out in force on Sunday for an election watched closely by the West for evidence of the democratic maturity the country must show in order to advance towards membership of the European Union and NATO. Voting started strongly in the morning and polling stations stayed open beyond the official 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) close to accommodate a last-minute rush as daytime heat abated, Reuters reported. Officials said turnout was likely to exceed the 56 percent mark seen in 2001. There were no reports of the sort of political violence that has marred previous Albanian elections. But the two main parties were cautioned for claiming victory with hours of balloting still to go. "Both parties have broken the law by saying they have won," said Central Election Commission chairman Ilirjan Celibashi. "This is morally unacceptable and they must stop it." Albania has no history of reliable exit polling. President Alfred Moisiu urged media not to make projections of the results in case hasty celebrations were dashed later by official results, prompting claims of cheating and possible violence. --More 2302 Local Time 2002 GMT
