Greece’s governing conservative party has added a convicted politician from Albania’s ethnic Greek minority to its list of candidates for the upcoming European Parliament election, further escalating tensions between the two countries.
Fredi Beleris, who was elected mayor of the town of Himare in southern Albania last year, was arrested on vote-buying charges and subsequently handed a two-year sentence in March. Despite denying the charges against him, Greece’s government criticized his pre-trial detention as unfair and even threatened to block Albania's EU membership bid.
The ruling New Democracy party surprised many with the announcement late Monday, allowing Beleris to run in the election scheduled between June 6-9 across the 27 member states, with Greek voters expected to cast their ballots on June 9.
In a statement on Facebook following the candidate list announcement in Athens, Beleris, who remains imprisoned in Albania, emphasized that his battle is not personal but rather a fight for the rule of law and democracy. He stressed the importance of upholding the values of the West and Europe for those seeking to join the European family.
The western Balkan region, comprising Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, is in various stages of the EU membership application process. The accession of Croatia in 2013 was the most recent addition to the EU.
Concerns over regional stability heightened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have accelerated the accession process for these countries. Greece and Albania, with a historically strained relationship, have faced challenges, with Athens accusing Tirana of delays in restoring rights to over 100,000 ethnic Greek citizens post the communist era in the early 1990s. Many of these individuals have dual citizenship and have been employed in Greece.
