Edi Rama

The difficulties that lie ahead in finding an acceptable solution to the case of Fredi Beleri, the jailed ethnic-Greek mayor of Himare, were reflected at the funeral of his grandmother, which took place on New Year's Eve in the southern Albanian town, under tight security, with the presence of a total of almost 30 armed police officers. 

Greece is anticipating an initiative from the Albanian government of Prime Minister Edi Rama to address the ongoing deadlock in bilateral relations caused by the detention of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek mayor-elect in the southern town of Himare, on charges of alleged vote-buying.

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis has defended Greece's stance on the case of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek mayor-elect in the southern Albanian town of Himare, who has been in pre-trial detention since May on vote-buying charges.

Fredi Beleri, the incarcerated ethnic Greek elected mayor of the Albanian region of Himare, penned a letter to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Sunday. This action followed the resignation of defeated mayor Gjergji Goro, who, having lost to Beleri in the elections, assumed mayoral duties amid his imprisonment. 

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.

In a move on Thursday that, under certain circumstances, might open the door to a compromise in the case of jailed ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama referred to him as the "elected mayor of Himare" for the first time, even though he backed as correct the ruling by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime in Tirana that denied him permission to attend a

Fredi Beleri's request to be sworn in as mayor of Himare was rejected by Albania's Special Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime on Monday.

Beleri was arrested in May on voting fraud charges just before winning the municipal election in the predominantly ethnic-Greek southern Albanian region of Himare. He is currently in pretrial detention.

Albania's Special Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime is set to resume the examination of Fredi Beleri's request on Monday. Beleri, the elected mayor of Himare currently in pretrial detention on charges of vote-buying, is seeking permission to be sworn in before the municipal council.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has reiterated his position on the case of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek mayor-elect of Himare, southern Albania, currently in pretrial detention on charges of vote-buying, stressing the matter is exclusively within the jurisdiction of Albania's judiciary.

The decision on the request by incarcerated ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri to be sworn as mayor of Himare in southern Albania will be made by the neighboring country's Special Court on December 4, "after six months of procrastination," he told Skai Radio in an interview on Tuesday.