Sali Berisha

A Greek expatriate mayoral candidate in the southern Albanian municipality of Himara, Fredi Beleri, was arrested at midnight on Thursday by the Albanian police outside his business premises on suspicion of paying people for their votes, causing strong condemnation from officials in Athens.

Albania's Socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has rejected opposition claims of blackmailing voters over access to government funds.

On Wednesday he said his threats to block funds to municipalities run by opposition mayors were a consequence of opposition leader Sali Berisha's designation by the US State Department as "being involved in significant corruption".

Prime Minister Edi Rama told a press conference on Friday that a decision by International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, ICSID to award Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti around 110 million euros in compensation was "scandalous" and said Albania might quit the body in response.

Albania's opposition Democratic Party, which is riven by factions, will be able to run in the May local elections after all - after the Commission of Sanctions and Complaints, CSC, overturned an earlier decision of the Commissioner of Elections not to let it run.

The temporary resignation of the former leader of the opposition Democratic Party Lulzim Basha in March last year has prevented the party from registering for the May local elections.

This is because some key documents submitted to the Central Elections Commission, CEC, should have had his signature.

After Albania's Court of Appeals failed to end to the main opposition Democratic Party's leadership battle, the rival two groups within the party on Monday both submitted their applications to the Central Elections Commission for the local elections on May 14.

Albania's Appeal Court has ordered a retrial in the long-lasting case that should determine who will hold the seal of the main opposition centre-right Democratic Party.

Socialist Party MPs said on Thursday that an opposition request to investigate controversial strategic investments in the country's coastal areas should be rejected on a technicality, arguing that supporting signatures wasn't collected in a proper way.

Sali Berisha appeared to be back in charge of Albania's main centre-right opposition Democratic Party after nine years, after he won 93 per cent of votes cast by around 40,000 party members on Sunday.

The civil war within Albania's main opposition Democratic Party worsened over the weekend after an assembly on Saturday summoned by former DP leader Sali Berisha voted to change the party's statute, and dismiss the current leader, Lulzim Basha - who has, in turn, dismissed some party members that participated in the assembly.