Both the biggest ethnic Greek organization in Albania, Omonia, and the ethnic Greek-leaning Unity for Human Rights Party on Thursday expressed joint support for ethnic Greek candidate Petro Gjikuria in next month’s (Aug. 4) repeat municipal election in the Himare township.
The election was called after mayor-elect Fredi Beleri, who won the mayor’s race by the slimmest of margins in May 2023, was prevented from taking the oath of office, as he was arrested days before the election on vote-buying charges.
He was subsequently denied bail, held in pre-trial remand and subsequently convicted on the charge, before being handed down the maximum sentence.
Beleri, his supporters and the Greek government have sharply criticized his case as a politically motivated prosecutorial conspiracy and sham trial aimed to prevent him from assuming office in Himare, which hosts a sizable and historic ethnic Greek community.
He was formally deposed by Albania’s central election commission earlier this week. Beleri was elected to the European Parliament last month on the ticket of Greece’s ruling party, New Democracy (ND).
Gjikuria hails from the town Dhërmi (Drymades) in the wider Himare area and is a businessman in the F&B sector in the United States and other countries.
