Two killed in Albania post-election violence

Two men have been killed during post-election celebrations in Albania.

Two men have been killed during post-election celebrations in Albania.

One man was apparently shot outside opposition party offices in the town of Lushnje. The second man was killed in an apparent reprisal shooting.

Early results showed Albania's opposition party headed by the Balkan country's former president in the lead although final results are not expected until later today.

International observers have criticised the vote as falling short of international standards.

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Although citing limited improvements over previous polls, the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe said Sunday's election was marred by organisational problems and allegations of irregularities in the Balkan country of 3.2 million people.

In Brussels, the European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana called for an investigation into the reports of irregularities, though he said he welcomed the high voter turnout and "generally peaceful manner" of the vote.

Sunday's vote was for a 140-seat parliament, with a 100 deputies elected directly and 40 allocated through party lists.