Athens Condemns Alleged Vote-Buying Arrest of Greek Politician in Albania

A Greek expatriate mayoral candidate in the southern Albanian municipality of Himara, Fredi Beleri, was arrested at midnight on Thursday by the Albanian police outside his business premises on suspicion of paying people for their votes, causing strong condemnation from officials in Athens.

Albanian State Police said on Friday that the prosecution in the city of Vlora has charged Beleri with "active corruption in elections". They added that another person was also arrested on the same charges in Himara, a bilingual municipality with a substantial Greek minority.

Beleris, 51, is running for mayor in this Sunday's local elections as a candidate for a Greek minority party, Unity for Human Rights Party, PBDNJ, part of the opposition bloc United for Victory, which is led by Sali Berisha's Democratic Party and the Freedom Party of former Albanian President Ilir Meta.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he had complained to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about Beleris's arrest, which he said was "based on non-existent charges".

"Albania must realise that Greece and the EU are not going to accept reductions in the rule of law and the protection of the rights of the Greek national minority," Mitsotakis wrote on Facebook.

The Greek ambassador to Tirana, Konstantina Kamitsi, has also raised a formal objection to Beleris's arrest at the Albanian Foreign Ministry.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama wrote on Twitter that the case is "a test for justice".

"The detention of the opposition candidate for Himara F. Beleri by order of the prosecution constitutes a great test for justice on the eve of the elections, which means that a violation of the law on his part must be proven and his...