On Sunday, residents in the southern Albanian municipality of Himare voted to elect a new mayor after the previous mayor-elect was jailed on charges of election fraud in 2023.
The previous election in May 2023 saw the “Together We Win” coalition’s nominee Fredi Beleri come out ahead of his rivals. However, Beleri was prevented from taking office by officials and later convicted on charges of election corruption, receiving a two-year prison sentence. The events surrounding his arrest led to accusations, particularly from Greek officials, that the action was intended to hinder ethnically Greek politicians like Beleri from participating in Albania’s political landscape. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing concern for the “fundamental principles of the rule of law” and threatened to block Albania’s EU accession process in response (details here).
In June, Beleri was granted a temporary release to take an oath at the European Parliament in France after gaining a seat with the New Democracy Party. In light of Beleri’s convictions, Jorgo Goro was named as acting mayor of Himare but was subsequently arrested over allegations of transferring state land to private individuals. Another successor resigned, while the latest is under investigation for property-related issues according to reports by Kosovapress.
Albania has faced criticism from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for failing to implement democratic reforms. In March, President Bajram Begaj met with the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Tirana to discuss potential improvements.
The electoral commission confirmed two official candidates for the new mayoral election: Vangjel Tavo of the Socialist Party of Albania and Petraw Gjikuria of the “Together We Win” coalition. Voting closed at 7 PM on August 4, with approximately 33 percent of eligible voters having cast their ballots by 5 PM, despite some facing difficulties due to expired identity cards (more information).
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