SOCIALISTS, 4 OTHER PARTIES PULL OUT OF ALBANIA VOTE.

Byline: Associated Press 

Opposition parties accused the ruling Democrats of engineering widespread election irregularities Sunday and pulled out of parliamentary voting.

The move by at least five parties - including all of the major ones - was a blow to hopes that Albania could make a relatively smooth transition to democracy after decades under one of the world's harshest Communist dictatorships.

The Socialist Party, successors to Albania's Communists, led four other parties in pulling out of the nationwide balloting. Party officials made the announcement several hours before polls were scheduled to close.

``The central election commission has seriously and intentionally compromised the elections,'' said a statement read by party spokesman Kastriot Islami. ``We do not recognize the results. We are pulling out our candidates, election commission representatives and observers.''

The Socialists, whom analysts had expected to give the Democrats a close run for control of the country, called on the Democrat-run election commission and the Constitutional Court to invalidate the vote.

They said they would not take part in any second-round voting that had been scheduled for next Sunday.

President Sali Berisha, in a brief interview on official TV, said the opposition parties withdrew after more than 80 percent of the voters in this country of 3.2 million had gone to the polls in a sign that they had faith in democracy.