Albania's prime minister Edi Rama has secured an unprecedented fourth term in power as his Socialist Party sailed to victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, a near complete vote count showed on Tuesday.

Preliminary results in Albania’s parliamentary elections give a clear victory to the ruling Socialist Party which attracted voters supporting the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term.

A near-complete ballot count shows the Socialist Party secured 52 percent of the votes or 82 of 140 parliamentary seats.