Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama was on course for an unprecedented fourth term in office on Monday as partial results showed his Socialist Party with a commanding lead in Sunday's parliamentary election.

The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there.

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