Parliament has failed in the most spectacular way imaginable to elect a new President for the country. After three weeks of negotiations between the government and the Opposition, the Parliament gathered in Round Three, revealed to a quite frightening degree the very profound differences that exist between the political sides in Albania; a total absence of political will to move towards a political agreement. Simultaneously, the entire Presidential contest has testified to a very low level of the functioning of democracy in the country. The public performances of negotiations between the Democratic Party in office and the Socialist Party in the Opposition are inconsolable if you think for a moment that this is a process to elect the President of the Republic! Whilst for three weeks on end, the Government and Opposition immersed themselves in these negotiations and the media backwash they created, they conducted themselves like two belligerent sides which had just come out of a war against each other and were discussing terms of a ceasefire.
Both sides immediately shot down the lists of candidates each side presented. The SP presented its former top level functionaries such as former Prime Ministers Nano and Bufi, former Assembly Speakers Servet Pellumbi, Kastriot Islami and Namik Dokle, Chairmen of the smaller parties in the left wing Coalition Paskal Milo and Neritan Ceka, including the current President Alfred Moisiu. The Government rejected this list, although there were candidates whom the public perceived as being serious candidates. On the other hand, the DP proposed low and realistically mediocre profiles. But from the allied parties of the governing coalition, there were very serious proposals of candidates such as Mr. Sabri Godo, which should have drawn the attention of the Opposition. Following this en bloc rejection of lists of possible candidates, the next lot of names proposed was ridiculous. An Albanian diplomat in one of the neighboring countries was out shopping when he received a call from Tirana that his name had been put forward as a candidate for President. An owner of salami shops and cheap textiles in Tirana became involved in a promotional campaign for another Albanian diplomat exerting pressure on the Albanian Law Makers. Nothing could be more ridiculous.
However, the ludicrous, but at the same time sad story of the election of the President in Albania does not end here. Well after midnight last night the Assembly proposed an amendment to the Constitution, the election of the President by the people, the amendment of the Constitution to increase the foreseen number of rounds to elect the President from five to fifty five rounds which is in the Italian Constitution, as well as blackmail and threats of early elections and the dissolving of Parliament.
But what was lacking was a voice of reasoning, a serious voice to move towards a political agreement that was fair and useful. But, on the contrary, what were clearly seen were the skullduggery and the traps the politicians set for one another. What was also very obvious was the exceptionally low level of the dimension of the “statesman” in the Albanian politicians, especially the party leaders. Ilir Meta, for example, a politician who is distinguished for decision making had the opportunity to prove that he consistently bears the dimension of a “statesman.” However, he chose to maintain silence supporting the candidature of Alfred Moisiu for whom it has become more than obvious that the Ruling Majority opposes. There is no doubt that a new President will be elected. To elect the President however, the political elite of the country is ready to ignore the country’s Constitution; it is also capable of being irresponsible to a degree unimaginable.
Yesterday’s plenary in Parliament, (Wednesday’s session), proved that it is not Parliament that is deadlocked, but Albanian politics.
