Albania's opposition party and its supporters have staged a marathon protest, calling for a probe into allegations of vote rigging.

The demonstrators set up tents in Tirana, the Albanian capital, on Friday, urging the ruling party to take action.

No incidents were reported in the protests that continued on Saturday.

Socialist lawmakers and opposition supporters accuse Sali Berisha, Albania’s prime minister of electoral fraud and demand a recount of ballots cast in June polls.

The conservatives and their allies won 75 of parliament's 140 seats in the June 28 elections; the Socialists and an ally won 65.

Edi Rama, the Socialist party leader, has vowed to keep up the boycott until there is “transparency of the June 28 vote.”

Rama, who is also the mayor of Tirana, claimed Berisha had stifled the judiciary, distorted the media and ruined free competition.

The square where the protests are taking place has been decked out with screens showing anti-government documentaries and signs saying "Open the ballot boxes" and "Where is my voice?".

Meanwhile, the government says the re-count would be illegal.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which monitored the election, said it had seen an improvement over previous polls in the erstwhile communist state, but noted certain "violations."

The protests come after foreign ministers from the European Union (EU) agreed earlier in the week in Brussels, the capital of Belgum, that Albania should be considered for official EU candidate status.