TIRANA, Sept. 9 – The country’s opposition Democratic Party published on Friday its proposals for changes to the Constitution, which, according to its representatives, will strengthen control over the figure of politicians and public officials.
The constitutional amendments addressed to the parliament by the opposition call for the exemption from the right to be elected citizens who have been sentenced with imprisonment, for committing a crime, or citizens who have contacts with persons involved with organized crime.
The opposition’s proposals, headed by the head of the DP Lulzim Basha, foresee amendments and additions to articles 45/3, 176, 176/1/2 and 179/c, which guarantee the integrity of the figure of the public official.
According to these proposals, the process of investigating the integrity of a public figure will include MPs, mayors, the prime minister and ministers, as well as all the heads of constitutional institutions appointed by parliament. After submitting a statement they’d undergo a control to identify those who have contacts with persons involved with organized crime.
“If the official does not justify the legality of his wealth according to the decision of the responsible constitutional body, the measure of detention to be elected or appointed to public office, termination of mandate or dismissal will be applied,” an article in the opposition amendments states.
The amendments also provide for the invalidity of the mandate of an official of the constitutional organs acquired before the entry into force of this law, when it is found the individual is included in the circle of subjects that have contacts with persons involved in organized crime.
“The vetting of politicians as proposed by the DP is the only way to clean up politics and stop corrupt and criminal politicians from making the law for Albanians, by bringing their immediate exit from institutions, terminating their mandates and taking away the right to run or be appointed in high state duties,” Basha told the media.
He added the law of vetting politicians is similar to that of judges, prosecutors and police officers, approved with the consensus of 140 votes, and urged Prime Minister Edi Rama not to boycott it.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a Socialist Party assembly meeting that Albanian politicians are out of control due to the lack of justice. He said that a justice freed from the clutches of politicians is the authority responsible for the vetting of judges and prosecutors.
He underlined the proposal for the vetting of politicians should not be related to the judicial reform and should not hamper it. Rama said the vetting of judges and prosecutors will continue, while his party is ready for the vetting of politicians proposed by the opposition.
“Let’s sit down, discuss, find a solution, because I don’t think the proposal involves a bipartisan commission to deal with these matters, as this would give people one more reason to want to leave the country. But we will make sure the other vetting is finalized, we will finalize cleaning the palace of justice so that justice does its job until the end in a way globally recognized,” Rama said.
Analysts have so far spoken positively about the possibility of applying the same mechanism of vetting judges and prosecutors to the country’s politicians.
“If the same vetting standard being applied to judges will be applied to politicians, Albania will know a new period and the anti-corruption criteria the EU is requesting would be fulfilled. This would be the second biggest social revolution in the country,” said head of the Albanian Institute for Political Studies Afrim Krasniqi told local media.
