BIRN: After a trial and diplomatic dispute, Himara again elects a mayor

In normal times, the elections in a small Albanian municipality would not attract so much attention, but in Himarë the drama about the previously elected mayor, Fredi Beleri, which escalated to a diplomatic level, has made the August 4 elections special for the mayor.

The jailing last year of Beler, who is from Albania's ethnic Greek minority, sparked a row between Tirana and Athens that deepened when Greece's ruling centre-right party nominated Beler as a candidate for the European Parliament.

The new election, which comes after Beler was stripped of his mandate by the Central Election Commission after he was convicted of vote-buying, is not being watched just to see if it resolves the diplomatic row. Albanian experts see the vote as a test of the democratic health of the electoral process in the country.

The saga has dragged on for more than a year. Beleri won the municipal elections in Himare on May 12, 2023, a few days after he was arrested. He never took the oath or took office despite his many requests to do so.

The municipality was initially taken over by the former mayor Jorgo Goro, but due to corruption and his accusations of abuse of office, he left the post and the fate of the institution was left to a caretaker, Blerina Balaj, who then resigned citing " personal reasons".

The city council then elected a new acting mayor, Arqile Bollano, who the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK, is also investigating.

Meanwhile, Greece claims that Albania is violating the rights of minorities and violating the law on this issue. She has threatened to block Albania's EU membership progress if she does not respect what she sees as politician's rights.

Some see new elections on Sunday as a chance to mend ties with Greece. Both candidates, Petro Gjikuria of the Democratic Party and Vangjel Tavo of the ruling Socialist Party, are ethnic Greeks.

Gjikuria is supported by two Greek minority parties, the Democratic Union of the Greek Minority - Omonoia and the Union Party for Human Rights, PBDNJ. Beleri, now an MEP for the ruling New Democracy party in Greece, also supports Gjikuri.

Lutfi Dervishi, an analyst based in Tirana, told BIRN that the elections in Himara "mark the closing of the 'Beleri' chapter and an opportunity to restore relations with Greece".

A new beginning with Athena?

Relations with Greece were seriously tested after Beler's arrest, with Greece calling on Albania to allow Beler to take the oath, but with the Albanian government claiming that this was a matter that belonged to the justice system and that it could not interfere.

This continued for months until the New Democracy of Greece party nominated Beleri as a candidate in the European Parliament elections in July.

Despite being in prison in Albania, he won about 237,925 votes in Greece in the election.

Authorities in Tirana allowed Beleri to go to Strasbourg to be sworn in after winning a seat in the European Parliament.

In Sunday's vote, the socialist candidate Tavo is a well-known local politician, also a former minister of health and deputy speaker of parliament.

"I am a Greek and everyone knows that I am a person with a political career in which I have tried and contributed to solving problems," Tavo told CNN's Greek-language affiliate.

He emphasized his independence from Socialist leader and Prime Minister Edi Rama, insisting that Rama called him to run because of his abilities.

"I was in the opposition, one of the strongest and toughest opponents of Rama, so it is not that Rama invited me to run in Himare as his collaborator. He invited me to solve some issues, because... he also has the will to solve these problems so that they are no longer an obstacle in... relations between the two countries," he said.

Meanwhile, the opposition candidate Petro Gjikuria, an Albanian-American businessman known for investments in this area, has filed a complaint with SPAK against Tavo for transferring his civil status from Dropulli to Himare.

"When the citizens of Himara decided to change the mayor, they were not allowed," Gjikuria wrote in a post on Facebook when he announced his candidacy.

"The former mayor who lost the elections continued to be in charge of the Municipality and the winning Mayor, Fredi Beleri, saw himself behind bars on fabricated charges. During all this time, Himara remained without a mayor", he added.

Political analyst Dervishi argues that, apart from the diplomatic point of view, the elections in Himara are a democratic test for Albania.

"While in Greece, the Beleri issue has been seen by politics and the media as a 'minority' issue, in Albania it has been seen as an issue that highlights the problems of democracy and the independence of justice," he said.

Elections can also create their own controversy if the result is close. The opposition candidate won last time with only 19 plus votes.

"Usually in Albania, in early elections, the candidate of the party in power is favored. "Taking into account the narrow margin of votes in the previous race, it is very likely that if the opposition candidate is defeated, the result will be contested," concluded Dervishi.

Others believe the election has the potential to herald possible new arguments with Athens, as tensions between the two countries often resurface around elections in Albania.

"The elections will be important for the relations of the Albanian state with Greece, as there may be irritations, tensions or repeated scenarios with the Greek state", said Xhemollari.

A Greek official, who asked not to be named, told BIRN that the Greek government is avoiding making any comments about the upcoming elections in Himara, as it does not want to appear to be interfering in Albania's internal affairs.

A battle for Rama and Berisha

Supporters of Fredi Beleri protest in Tirana in February 2024. Photo: Malton Dibra/LSA.
Xhemollari believes that the new mayor will not have time to do much in the city or make big decisions because of the short two-year term in office, limited by four years by the Beleri drama.

But he said the election will be important because Albania's socialists and democrats will face each other at the ballot box after Sali Berisha won a court case that ruled he was the splinter Democratic Party's legitimate leader and seal bearer. of her. A rival faction had also claimed the party's name and seal.

"It will be the first confrontation between Berisha and Rama after the debate about the seal", Xhemollari said.

Meanwhile, Beleri has also challenged the August 4 elections. The Central Election Commission decided on July 5 that while his mandate in Himara was invalid, he had the right to appeal the decision within 30 days. However, on the same day as the decision of the CEC, the new elections in Himara were decreed by the President of Albania.

Beleri requested the cancellation of the election date due to the timing of his appeal, but the Administrative Court of Tirana rejected his request, his lawyer Eugen Gjyzari confirmed for BIRN.

However, Beler's legal team has appealed the decision of the Administrative Court and is awaiting a decision that could reverse the situation again./Reporter.al

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