On Sunday, residents in the southern Albanian municipality of Himare voted to elect a new mayor after the previous mayor-elect was jailed on charges of election fraud in 2023.

The previous election in May 2023 saw the “Together We Win” coalition’s nominee Fredi Beleri come out ahead of his rivals. However, the success was short-lived after Beleri was prevented from taking office by officials, and later convicted on charges of election corruption. He received a sentence of two years imprisonment.

Beleri’s arrest sent shockwaves throughout the region, resulting in accusations that the arrest was an act intended to hinder ethnically Greek politicians, including Beleri, in their political activities. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing concern for the “fundamental principles of the rule of law” after the arrest and threatened to block Albania’s accession process to the EU in response.

The politician, who is due for release in October, was recently granted a temporary release to take oath at the European Parliament in France after gaining a seat with the New Democracy Party during elections in June. In light of Beleri’s convictions, Jorgo Goro was named as acting mayor of Himare but was later also arrested after suspicions were raised that the politician had transferred state land to private individuals. A further successor resigned, whilst the latest has also been under investigation for property matters according to reports by Kosovapress.

Albania has been criticized by the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OCSE) in recent months for its failure to implement measures to improve democratic processes in the state. Incumbent president, Bajram Begaj, met with the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Tirana to discuss improvements to its democratic institutions in March.

The two official candidates confirmed by the electoral commission are Mr. Vangjel Tavo of the Socialist Party of Albania, and Mr. Petraw Gjikuria, of the “Together We Win” coalition. Voting closed at seven PM on August 4 in Albania, where it is estimated approximately 33 percent of eligible voters had exercised their right to vote in the election by five PM, as many individuals encountered difficulties due to expired identity cards. The vote count was due to begin at one AM CET.