Aleksander Cipa

Albania's Special Court on Monday confirmed the decision by the Special Prosecution Against Organized Crime and Corruption, SPAK, on Friday to arrest the former General Director of Albanian Radio National Television, RTSH, Thoma Gëllçi, for abuse of duty over a tender worth about 708,000 euros.

The Albanian government has come under criticism from the opposition and rights groups after it decided on Saturday to establish a new Agency for Media and Information that will centralise the government's media messaging, sparking allegations that Prime Minister Edi Rama's administration is seeking to evade media scrutiny.

Although the campaign for the June 21st local elections in Albania has not officially started, the main parties have already announced their candidates for the race and they have been busy with campaign events.

However, these events are not being covered directly by the media. Instead, they are either taped by the local parties' PR offices or live TV feeds are offered to TV stations.