TIRANA, July 27 – Albania’s President Ilir Meta vetoed on Friday the bill foreseeing the demolition of the National Theatre building, listing in the presidency’s public announcement nine reasons why he considers the law approved by the parliament’s Socialist majority unconstitutional.
The first reason behind Meta’s decision to decree the return of the bill to parliament for re-evaluation, thus setting a prolonged battle ahead of it, is because it oversteps the principle of “equality before the law” and “citizens’ freedom of economic activity.”
Secondly, the bill is not congruent with the basic constitutional principles of “national identity” and “national heritage” , while also opposing the principles of the European Convention of Non-Material Cultural Heritage, endorsed in Paris in 2003.
Fourth, Meta’s announcement carried on, the bill “seriously infringes the constitutional principles of ‘decentralization’ and ‘local autonomy’ of the organization and functioning of local government, also in violation of the principle of ‘separation and balance of power’” . Parallely, it opposes EU principles and standards and the articles of the Stabilization and Association agreement.
Moreover, Meta said the bill “is not based on an all-inclusive and comprehensive assessment of the alienation of public property, and its rapport to the economic benefits of the Albanian state and the public interest.”
In addition, the bill is not in harmony with the laws and legislation currently in power in the Albanian constitution and it also hasn’t been based on deep research of the status of the immobile objects included in this project.
Last but not least, Meta mentioned the fact the Constitutional Court is at the time non-functional, creating a gap in the justice body that could check the bill for all above-mentioned discrepancies.
Over the last week, the DP and a number of protesting actors have been calling on President Ilir Meta to veto the National Theatre bill, which was approved by the Socialist-led parliament last week after a number of accelerated procedures.
Leaders of the protest in defense of the current National Theatre building submitted on Monday a petition with over 5,000 signatures to Meta, asking him to veto the government’s bill.
According to the opposition, the bill that foresees the construction of a new National Theatre as part of a high-rise commercial complex is not only unconstitutional, but also a way for the government to launder money coming from crime and corruption.
So far, the Socialist majority has approved the law to negotiate with Fusha Shpk, the preselected construction firm that is to build a new National Theatre building in Tirana in exchange for a lot more surface of land than it already owns.
Artists and citizens have been protesting since the beginning of February concerning this issue. Nonetheless, the government has enough parliament seats to re-vote the bill, while the opposition abandoned the parliament hall last Thursday, accusing the Socialists they rigged the vote and saying that the National Theatre affair has “put the country is a state of civil war.”
