Socialist Party candidate leads in Himare mayoral election

Governing Socialist Party candidate Vangjel Tavo was leading in Sunday's repeat mayoral election in Himare, a town in southwestern Albania, with 63 percent of the vote counted from 28 out of 36 polling stations.

The vote was held after the previous winner, Fredi Beleri, a member of the country's ethnic Greek minority, was stripped of his title, convicted, and jailed on vote-buying charges. Both Beleri and Athens contend that his conviction is politically motivated.

Beleri, who was in June elected to the European Parliament with Greece's ruling New Democracy party - has supported Gjikuria, whose 10-party Together We Win coalition includes the center-right Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the left-wing Freedom Party of former President Ilir Meta.

On Sunday, just hours before the polls opened, there were allegations of vote-buying and...