Debate over lawmaker’s post disrupts politics

TIRANA, April 3 – Former opposition Socialist lawmaker Rudina Seseri resigned from her post in the parliament last year to return to her private career.
Following this it was up to the opposition Socialists to nominate her successor. The successful candidate was Gjon Bardhi; however, Bardhi was also elected in a local authorities’ post following elections last year and he preferred to keep that post instead.
Yet, the Central Election Commission opposed his decision by saying that Bardhi is obliged to take the post in the parliament.
Now the parliament has asked the Constitutional Court to decide whether the post belongs to the Socialists, to their ranking candidate, or not.
The parliament led by the governing Democratic Party sent a request for clarification to the Constitutional Court.
Following the request to the Court, the opposition leader Edi Rama warned that such a step could take the parliament in another difficult moment, likely hinting they could boycott the parliament again. Rama said that such a step from the governing Democrats could cause a serious obstacle to the country’s integration efforts into the European Union. That was a clear warning because many laws required for the integration process require a three-fifth vote which cannot be achieved without the presence and the votes of the opposition.