Scare tactics deployed in Himare polls
The mayoral elections in Himare, southern Albania, to replace the jailed ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri were reportedly marred by influence that the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama seems to have used to back its chosen candidate, Vangjel Tavo. A few days before the election, ethnic Greek businessmen received notices that they were to be inspected by the infamous IKMT agency for possible construction violations. These businessmen had supported the then-elected mayor Beleri in the May 2023 elections. The semi-illegality that affects practically every building in Himare is what makes the IKMT inspection so significant. Permits for building and repair are tied to ownership status. Because the beneficiaries have not yet secured many title deeds, IKMT checks always come with large fines and the dismantling of arbitrary buildings. The director of the service in the region of Avlona (which Himare belongs to) was until recently the Albanian who appears in a video saying in front of the then candidate and now new mayor, Tavo, that on August 4 they would vote for him so that “on the 5th they will stop speaking Greek [in Himare].”
The IKMT was just one of the weapons deployed by the Rama government to help his chosen candidate. The tax and health departments and the security and counterterrorism ministers were all established in Himare in the days leading up to the elections.
Tavo pushed back in an interview with Kathimerini against the tag of traitor assigned to him. “How did I betray Hellenism? History has judged me and will judge me in Himare as well after a period of time,” he said. “In my career I clashed with everyone, for the interests of the minority. I have never put my own personal interests above those of my region,” he said.
