New blow dealt to rule of law in Albania

The decision of the Central Electoral Commission of Albania to remove Fredi Beleri from the office of mayor of Himare, to which he was elected but never sworn in, completes a 14-month cycle of irregularities by the government of Edi Rama aiming to discredit the jailed ethnic Greek, who is also an MEP representing Greece's ruling New Democracy.

Decrying a "pre-ordained outcome" fraught with legal issues, the Greek Foreign Ministry noted the novelty of the practice of declaring the resignation of a mayor who was not even allowed to take office, and referred to "the conclusion of a procedure with many questions about fundamental principles of the rule of law."

Beleri was elected as mayor of the southern Albanian town on May 14, 2023, but just two days before the election, he was arrested on charges of vote-buying and subsequently sentenced to two years in prison.