Police detain former Albanian president

Sali Berisha: "I was kidnapped in my car by police as I was going home"

TIRANA, Albania (Reuters) -- Former Albanian President Sali Berisha was briefly detained and questioned by police in what appeared to be an effort by the government to force him to abandon protests over local elections.

The opposition Democratic Party has been holding daily rallies over the last two weeks to demand a fresh vote in certain regions where it says the local government poll was rigged.

The rallies have become increasingly violent with protesters throwing stones and petrol bombs at government buildings.

Special police forces surrounded Berisha's motorcade at gunpoint shortly after midnight on Wednesday and drove him to a police station. He was released one hour later.

The opposition leader said he was on his way home after making funeral arrangements for two Democratic Party supporters killed in a shootout with police on Tuesday in the remote Tropoje area.

"I was kidnapped in my car by police as I was going home," Berisha told reporters.

Berisha directly blamed Socialist Prime Minister Ilir Meta for the incident.

He called on his supporters to come out en masse to a rally in Tirana to continue their protests.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Albanian poll results 'manipulated'
October 3, 2000
Albania to destroy 100,000 weapons looted in 1997
September 7, 2000

President of Albania
Albania home page
Albania, Land of Eagles
Democratic Party of Albania

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.