TIRANA, July 19 – Former Socialist leader and Prime Minister Fatos Nano, disqualified from the presidential race following the third vote when his ally, Neritan Ceka of the Democratic Alliance challenged him, turned to the Constitutional Court asking to rule the first two votes invalid.
Nano says they were not legal because there were less than 84 votes cast.
The new president is elected by the parliament with at least three-fifths, or 84 votes, of the 140 seats.
Nano’s candidacy was opposed by lawmakers within his Socialist Party and by the other coalition political parties.
When nominated, he managed to collect 20 signatures from Socialist lawmakers and also from a small party in the governing coalition.
However, little action is expected from the Constitutional Court. Political observers do not expect the Court to consider the two votes illegal and order the parliament to resume voting for the president, especially as a new president may soon be elected only days before the term of the existing president, Alfred Moisiu, expires Tuesday.
