Albanians vote for new mayor of ethnic Greek town in a case that has sparked tensions with Athens

Associated Press

QEPARO, Albania (AP) — Albanians in the southwestern town of Himara have voted for a new mayor. The vote on Sunday comes after their previous choice was convicted and imprisoned on vote-buying charges. The case against Fredis Beleris, a dual Albanian-Greek national who was elected to the European Parliament with Greece’s governing conservative party in June, has strained relations between Tirana and Athens. Greece has threatened to hold up Albania’s bid to join the European Union. Both candidates in Sunday’s election are members of the local ethnic Greek community. The Central Election Commission, the country’s governing election body, said voting ended with a 3% percent higher turnout than last year. Results are expected on Monday morning.