FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The origin of this conflict was on May 12, 2023, 2 days before the local elections, when Fredi Beleri, then the opposition candidate under the "Together We Win" coalition for the Municipality of Himara, was arrested red-handed in his bar at midnight while he was shopping for purchases. of votes.
The elections taking place today in Himara Municipality will end a 15-month journey of the municipality without a legitimate mayor at its head.
The saga started two days before the elections of May 14, 2023 with the arrest of Beler and is expected to end this August 4 with the election of the new president between Vangjel Tavos and Petro Gjikurija.
These elections are also expected to put an end to the tensions between the diplomacy of Albania and Greece.
Beler's arrest
The origin of this conflict was on May 12, 2023, 2 days before the local elections, when Fredi Beleri, then the opposition candidate under the "Together We Win" coalition for the Municipality of Himara, was arrested red-handed in his bar at midnight while he was shopping for purchases. of votes.
The voting took place in an unusual climate, between a candidate in prison and Jorgo Goros, who held the post of current mayor.
Despite the opposition's accusations that the arrest of its candidate Fredi Beleri was political and directly ordered by Edi Rama, the election process went smoothly and the Himariotes voted.
Out of 22 thousand 833 voters, 7821 citizens voted, while with only 19 votes more than his rival, Fredi Beleri was declared the winner of the elections from prison.
Beleri supporters celebrated the victory with Greek flags and chants in the Greek language.
Beler's victory in these elections was also welcomed by the highest leaders of Greek politics, including Mitsotakis himself.
But the joy of the victory lasted a short time, and Fredi Beleri, in the middle of a legal battle to declare himself innocent, asked several times for permission to be sworn in as the mayor of Himara, permission that was refused by the authorities every time because of the legal vacuum.
The arrest of Jorgo Goro
In the absence of Fredi Beleri's oath, the municipality continued to be led by Jorgo Goro for several months, until on March 23, by order of SPAK, the acting mayor of Himara was arrested.
The arrest was also after a denunciation that Fredi Beleri had made from prison about Himara's properties and the mayor's role in privatizing them in order to give them to strategic investors. The political battle had already moved to the doors of SPAK, where both mayors were fighting for freedom.
The appointment of Blerina Bala as head of the Himar Municipality
With the imprisonment of the acting mayor, the leadership of the Municipality was temporarily handed over to Blerina Bala. Her appointment on March 29, 2024 by the Municipal Council was accompanied by strong tensions, while supporters of Fredi Beleri present in the hall tried to clash with Vangjel Tavo, who had just been appointed prefect of the Vlora District.
Bala's resignation
The appointment of Bala as the commanding mayor would not put an end to the impasse in the direction of the Municipality of Himara. Just a few weeks after taking charge, she announced her resignation and since June 7, the Municipality is headed by the vice-mayor Arqile Bollano.
The solution to the impasse of Himara's leadership began to come to life, as in the most important institution of justice in the country: the Special Anti-corruption Structure was given the final decision for Fredi Beleri: the appeal of GJKKO decided to sentence Beleri to 2 years in prison for corruption active in the elections, a criminal offense that prevented Beler from exercising his duties as a public official.
This decision paved the way for new elections in Himare.
The CEC was set in motion through a letter from the head of FRESSH in Himare, where he demanded that the election administration institution declare Beler's mandate invalid due to his conviction.
Before deciding, the CEC called Fredi Beleri, who until that time continued to enjoy the status of the elected mayor of Himara, to the session.
CEC removes Fredi Beler's mandate
On July 5, the State Election Commissioner decided to declare Fredi Beler's mandate invalid, while only a few hours later the Council of Ministers notified the Presidency of the vacancy. It didn't take long for Bajram Begaj, and on the afternoon of July 5, he announced the election date of August 4, the closest day that the law allowed.
The Socialist Party chooses Vangjel Tavo as a candidate
Now it would be the turn of the candidates. The Socialist Party did not surprise. Vangjel Tavo was declared SP's candidate for Himara, while his name had been circulating for months, since Rama appointed him Prefect.
To the man who started his political career in the SP, but left for several years due to clashes with the prime minister himself, Rama now entrusted the race in one of the most difficult municipalities, hoping not only to retain Himara, but perhaps also to improve through him the sometimes tense relations with Greece due to the municipality with a Greek minority.
Opposition candidate Petro Gjikuria
The opposition chose Petro Gjikuri as its candidate, a completely unknown name for politics in the center. But, for the Himariots, he was known as a supporter of Fredi Beleri. The few times that the Albanian-American had come from America where he lived, in Himare, was to support Fredi Beleri's campaign.
The municipality of Himara consists of 3 administrative units and has a wide extension along the entire Ionian coast as well as in the mountains of Labëria. On August 4, 23 thousand and 74 Himariots have the right to vote.
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