Doubts raised over Himare elections

Athens is indirectly but clearly questioning the election results of Sunday's runoff municipal elections for the municipality of Himare in southern Albania after serious doubts were raised by members of the ethnic Greek minority.

The victory of Vangjel Tavo, chosen by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, with 58.62%, against Petraq Gjikuria's 41.38%, was expected. It was, however, accompanied by complaints from the Greek minority about the manipulation of the voter list and the denial of the right to vote to thousands of citizens of Himare under the pretext of the expiration of their identity cards. 

More specifically, opposition groups reported that some 6,000 voters were unable to cast ballots because their IDs had expired, a situation exacerbated by the lack of provisions for extending IDs, unlike in previous elections.

Athens has raised the issue of Tirana's...