TIRANA, May 13 – The candidate for mayor in Himarë, Fredi Beleri, was left in prison after a ruling made by the Court of Vlora announced on Saturday, 24 hours before the local elections of May 14 and his case is being pursued by SPAK.
The candidate of the coalition “We win together” for the municipality of Himara was arrested shortly after midnight on Friday, under the charge of buying votes. Meanwhile, there have been many political reactions, while the opposition has described it as Rama’s scenario. There have also been reactions from the Greek government.
In a post on his official Facebook page, Beleri called on Himariots and not only to support him in the May 14 elections. Among other things, he expressed thanks for his support, emphasizing that he needs everyone and invites supporters not to be absent in the May 14 elections.
In the meantime, the Greek Foreign Ministry has reacted in relation to the decision of the Court of Vlora to leave the candidate of the ‘Together We Win’ coalition in Himara, Fredi Beleri in prison. The ministry called it a scandalous decision if there is no convincing evidence.
The official response stated that Albania is not following the European path and that this decision will affect Albania’s relations with the European Union.
“Today’s decision of the Vlora court, if the evidence is not convincing, is scandalous. The arrest of a candidate for Mayor two days before the elections does not constitute the rule of law. The decision to ban the candidate for Mayor brings a complete change of the rules of equality in the municipal elections in Himara, the most important center of the Greek national minority in Albania.
“Such a decision will also affect the relations of the European Union with Albania, since the condition of the European path is the respect of the European rules and the principles of the rule of law by the candidate countries. Decisions like today’s that violate the above principles mean that in practice Albania is not following the European path,” said the Greek foreign ministry. /Argumentum.al
