TIRANA, May 19 – A faction of the Democratic Party (DP) parliamentary group discussed the names of the candidates for President who will be presented to the majority for voting in Parliament in the second round as agreed in a meeting between the majority and an opposition faction on Wednesday led by Socialist head of parliamentary group Taulant Balla.
It is reported that a large number of candidates were nominated by Democrat MPs at the meeting attended by 26 of them. The Democratic Party Re-establishment Commission has boycotted the process and its members did not attend the meeting.
The DP Parliamentary Group led by Enkelejd Alibeaj decided 8 candidates to proceed to further analysis , removing Lajla Përnaska and Jorida Tabaku.
The following are the presidential candidates to continue the next stage of selection: Leonard Demi, Arben Çejku, Dritan Demiraj, Dashamir Shehi, Rexhep Uka, Halim Kosova, Leka Zogu and Visar Zhiti.
The chairman of the Republican Party, Fatmir Mediu, who is the head of the Alliance for Change, announced that they have picked up Dashamir Shehu as their presidential candidate.
Mediu said it would be good for the opposition to have a joint representation, emphasizing again that the right to propose is not given by the Socialist Party, but by the Constitution.
The deputy of the Re-foundation Commission, Luciano Boçit denounced the process calling Enkelejd Alibeaj as a political tool of the Prime Minister, Edi Rama.
“After blowing up the constitutional process for the president, turning Rama’s favorite, he (Alibeaj) is now seeking to please Rama and sanction the split of the Parliamentary Group into two groups, one of which he owns with a mortgage. The DP Parliamentary Group is one and not divided as Mr. Alibeaj wants it to be,” said Boci. /Argumentum.al
