Tirana, Albania  - The Albanian parliament backed Prime Minister Sali Berisha's new coalition cabinet after a marathon debate.

The vote, held late Wednesday shortly before midnight, was 74 in favour and one against.

Berisha's centre-right Democratic Party won 70 of the 140 seats in the one-house Assembly in June 28 elections, which were plagued by opposition accusations of voting fraud. He forged an alliance with the former Albanian premier's Socialist Party for Integration, which won four seats.

The opposition Socialist Party with 65 seats boycotted the debate on the new cabinet, alleging massive election violations and demanding a repeat vote.

One of Europe's poorest nations, Albania was for decades isolated under a harsh communist regime. Berisha served as the country's first democratically elected president starting in 1992.

Albania joined NATO this year, but its path to EU membership remains blocked most of all by its inability to hold elections up to standard. (dpa)