Politics of Albania

The leader of the Albanian opposition, Sali Berisha, has been released from house arrest, an Albanian court ruled today, while the country’s former president and former prime minister awaits trial on corruption charges against him as protests agai

Albania's defense ministry said on Saturday that Defence Minister Nikos Dendias declined an invitation to the opening of a refurbished NATO air base in Kucova earlier in March, rejecting a press report that the Greek official had been snubbed.

Bulgaria's commitment to Albania's EU aspirations and bilateral cooperation took center stage during a meeting between Rosen Zhelyazkov, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, and Lindita Nikolla, Speaker of the National Assembly of Albania, in Tirana.

Bulgaria has received assurances from Albania regarding the protection of the rights of the Bulgarian minority within its borders, alongside a commitment to ensure transparency in the upcoming census.

Albanian mayoral candidate Gjergj Goro, who assumed office amid the incarceration of opponent Fredi Beleri in the Albanian region of Himare, reportedly resigned on Saturday. 

Beleri, an ethnic Greek, has been incarcerated pending trial since May on vote-buying charges after his arrest on the eve of municipal elections which he won against Socialist candidate Jorgo Goro.

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. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue of the release of the ethnic Greek mayor of Himare, Fredi Beleri, during a meeting with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on Tuesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

The swearing-in ceremony for the elected mayor of Himare in Albania, Fredi Beleri, is scheduled for Tuesday but cannot take place while he still remains in custody.

According to Albanian legislation a deputy mayor, appointed by a council of ministers controlled by the ruling Socialist Party, will have to take office.

Fatbardh Kadilli, from the Democratic Party, which won only seven municipalities in the May 14 Local elections, tells BIRN that both leaders of the divided party should quit and the party be completely reformed.