TIRANA, Dec. 22 – Presidential candidates in Albania will be obliged to go through a background check before they can be cleared for the race, according to a new draft bill compiled by experts of the justice reform.
Article 5/2 of the new draft bill says that presidential candidates “must be Albanian citizens that will undergo a full vetting process according to the legal framework which aims to guarantee and preserve the integrity of people elected, appointed or hold public office.”
According to the draft bill, all presidential candidates will be vetted by three representatives of the International Monitoring Operation, a body established in the framework of the justice reform. The vetting process will last fourteen day. IMO will compile a list of candidates who meet the formal criteria for each position and afterward will send its conclusions for the qualifications of the candidates to the president and parliament.
The new bill also determines the constitutional competences of the president in office and the rules and regulation for the collaboration between the President’s Office and the Parliament, Prime Minister’s Office and Justice Institutions.
