TIRANA – “The proposal on the constitutional changes reduces to zero the 9-month efforts to reach consensus,” said President Ilir Meta in a comment on the step taken by the majority to go ahead with some constitutional changes on the electoral reform.
President Meta told an announced press conference on Thursday that it is indispensable that the political parties abide by the agreement reached on June 5 thanks to the mediation of internationals.
“These changes are in violation of the principle of Venice as the only pathleader regarding the electoral process. The legal changes should be made one year before the elections,” said Meta, who pointed out that the current parliament was not legitimate to make constitutional changes as it has 82 legitimate MPs. According to him, parliament has formally 122 deputies out of 140 which is the number of the Albanian legislative body.
In another related event, the head of the Democrat parliamentary opposition, Myslim Murrizi accused PM Edi Rama and DP head Lulzim Basha of political bargains. He was speaking in Thursday’s plenary session of parliament in a right of reply to Rama. He called the political accord signed on June 5 as a ‘love letter’ to be placed in a frame and be kept in an office. Nevertheless he told Rama not to break the accord.
For his part in his remarks full of jokes some of which made fun of the opposition deputies present in the hall and former DP lawmakers, including Basha and president Meta, PM Rama said the current session of parliament will adopt a change which will serve Albanian electors because they would be able ‘to elect and not just only to vote’.
There is an ongoing debate on Albanian political scene on the adoption by parliament of partial electoral lists and ban of pre-electoral coalitions a scheme backed by the majority but extra parliamentary opposition so called ‘united opposition’ led by DP refutes any change to the June 5 political accord on the electoral reform.
International factors involved in electoral reform in Albania have hinted that they favor the accord as it was signed on June 5. /argumentum.al
