Albanians began voting on Sunday to elect city mayors and municipal council members amid a growing political conflict between the authorities and the opposition that boycotted the municipal elections, the Associated Press reported. 

Votes will be cast to pick authorities that will run 61 districts across the country for the next four years.

The country's government insisted on holding elections, but the opposition intends to invalidate them, accusing the government of links to organized crime and demanding new elections.

Albanian President Ilir Meta agrees with the opposition and insists on canceling the elections, but Prime Minister Edi Rama does not agree with this position.

The candidates for the election are 35 representatives of the ruling Socialist Party. The number of their opponents is too small.