Sali Berisha

Images from the early 1990s of thousands of Albanians crammed onto all kinds of ships—most famously the “Vlora” with 10,000 passengers—on the journey of hope from Durrës to Italy are not so distant. It was August 8, 1991, when scenes of a drama were unfolding at the port of Bari that were destined to be repeated.

Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Wednesday said he was formally charged with corruption in connection with a property deal, describing the move as politically motivated.

Since midday last Monday, Greek-Albanian politician Fredi Beleri has been free to carry out his duties as a representative of Greece in the European Parliament. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, for his part, may believe that he "ended" Beleri politically.

Preliminary results Monday showed Albania's governing Socialist Party candidate Vangjel Tavo won the mayoral election in the southwestern town of Himare after the previous mayor was removed in a case that has sparked tensions with Greece.

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.

Opposition protesters pelted Albania's government building and a mayor's office with petrol bombs late on Thursday, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demanding his resignation.

Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in front of Rama's office and later at the office of Tirana's mayor who is also from Rama's Socialist Party.

Tensions escalated in Albania as anti-government protests erupted into clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in the capital city of Tirana. Thousands of supporters of the opposition Democratic Party converged outside the parliament building, demanding the immediate release of party leader Sali Berisha, who has been under house arrest since December 31 on charges of corruption.

Albania's parliament voted Thursday to lift the legal immunity of former prime minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is accused of corruption.

The case of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek elected mayor of Himare, in southern Albania, who is being tried by a special court on charges of corruption, is stoking tensions on the domestic political scene. 

The Socialist Party led by Prime Minister Edi Rama is ahead in most municipalities in the country after Sunday's local elections and has already won three, Kamza, Vora and Elbasan, where the voting took place electronically and the Central Election Commission was able to declare the results a few hours after polls closed.