Democrats may resume immunity bill debate

TIRANA, June 8 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha, the leader of the governing Democratic Party, said they will return to parliament for discussion and vote the draft law on lifting the immunity of themselves and other top officials.
The parliament already passed the law in 2008, but the Constitutional Court reversed the law which banned former Communist secret police staff and informants from holding public office or serving in the judiciary. The court found the law unconstitutional.
“I hope that the Socialist Party accepts it because it will serve the country well,” Berisha said during a meeting with lawmakers from his ruling Democratic Party on Monday.
The decision followed a challenge by the main opposition Socialists, who claimed the ban gave Berisha’s Democrats sweeping powers to target political opponents.
The European Union and the United States have expressed concern the law fails to comply with international standards of democracy.
The widely feared Sigurimi secret police was instrumental in preserving Albania’s ruthless Communist regime, which ruled for four decades until 1990.