As expected, the Parliament has voted in a large majority in support of the report of the Inquiry Commission to dismiss President of Albania Ilir Meta. Some 104 deputies said ‘yes’ on the report presented by Alket Hyseni, Chairman of the Inquiry Commission on the dismissal of the Head of State on Thursday. Seven deputies voted against the report, 2 abstained while one ballot was found irregular in the parliamentary plenary session.
The chairman of the Commission, Hyseni said that the parliamentary body was based on the facts and circumstances during the investigating process referring to the constitutional doctrine, jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, decisions of the Venice Commission, and it has resulted that the President of the Republic has made a series of violations, as well as violated human rights and the functioning of the state.
“Ilir Meta has finished work with the role he took from the parliament and the words about him as President are over. Now let the parliament speak with a vote… Ilir Meta has betrayed the mission of the President of the Republic of Albania.”
This was the gist of the remarks made by Prime Minister Edi Rama who travelled back home on Thursday morning from Sofia, where he was on an official visit whose agenda was framed in that way to make possible his presence in parliament.
“Ilir Meta has humiliated the Constitution of the Republic of Albania. Ilir Meta has demolished the institution of the guarantor of national unity. Ilir Meta has violated the vital border of separation of powers in our parliamentary democracy. Ilir Meta has shamed Albania and the Albanian people in the very special relationship with the USA. Ilir Meta has scratched the face of the Albanian state in relations with the representations of the international democratic community in Albania,” said Rama. He said that Albania can no longer support Ilir Meta by becoming the joke of the world in the eyes of its friends and its own citizens.
“Therefore, this parliament today must exercise without hesitation the will of more than 90% of the Albanian people to dismiss Ilir Meta from office. It is a pity for our former friend Ilir, but today’s Meta can never have the high status given him by the parliament,” said Rama.
The Minister of State for Diaspora, Pandeli Majko said on Thursday that he expressed his vote in favor of the dismissal of President Ilir Meta. “It weighs a lot on me, but it is a vote that basically has relations with the truth,” said Majko, who has been a close collaborator of Meta.
The report endorsed by parliament will be taken into consideration by the Constitutional Court which has the attribution to make the final decision on the dismissal of the Head of State. / argumentum.al
