Today’s decision of the Vlora District Court, if there is no irrefutable evidence, constitutes a scandal. The arrest of a mayoral candidate two days before the elections is not within the Rule of Law. The decision to detain the mayoral candidate in custody induces a full reversal of the rules of equality in the municipal elections in Himare, a significant centre of the Greek National Minority in Albania.
Such a decision will also have repercussions on the European Union’s relations with Albania, as adherence to European rules and the principles of the Rule of Law is a prerequisite for this European path. Decisions such as today’s, which violate these principles, mean that in practice Albania is not following the European path.