Tirana, June 26, SPA --Albanians are set to go to the polls on Sunday in parliamentary elections which could gauge the country's readiness for closer ties with the European Union, according to dpa. Though it joined NATO in April, Albania has yet to prove that itsdemocratic practices have progressed enough to unblock its bid for EUmembership. Violence has already marred the campaign, with an activist shotdead, a local political leader dead in a bomb blast and firebombslobbed at party seats in remote villages. Tension continued to rise as the final rallies were being preparedFriday, despite warnings from the EU and United States that mistakesfrom past elections must not be repeated. Also, 250,000 out of the country's 3.1 million voters will not beallowed to cast ballots because they do not have passports oridentity cards. The decision drew criticism from internationalofficials and the opposition. Pre-election surveys predicted a close race between theconservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party and theTirana Mayor Edi Rama's Socialsts. In the end, smaller parties, such as the Socialist Movement forIntegration (LSI) and the Christian Democrats may tip in favour ofthe big players. Concerned by the high potential for violence, foreign diplomatswarned politicians against the customary early declarations ofvictory Sunday night. Exit polls by several agencies were expected shortly after thevoting ends at 7 pm (1700 GMT), but their reliability may bequestionable, particularly in case of anticipated narrow margins. Some 400 foreigners, including officials from the Organization forSecurity and Cooperation in Europe election-monitoring mission(ODIHR), and 2,500 local volunteers, were registered to observe theentire election process. According to new rules in Albania, at least 30 per cent of the 140incoming legislators must be women.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/678550