Immunity law back on stage

TIRANA, July 10 – Both the governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the main opposition Socialist Party of Edi Rama agree and pronounce it loudly that they want the immunity of the lawmakers, judges and prosecutors and other top officials be lifted.
But they differ on the way and the form that will be done.
In fact lifting their immunity has become one of the key requests from the European Union in which Albania wants to become a member, or at least to get a positive answer on the candidate status this autumn after two previous failures.
The issue of immunity has always been a contesting point in the political debate between the two opposing groupings.
There have been other cases in the last two post-communist decades when one or the other side has initiated its lifting.
But unfortunately, not for them but for the people and the rule of law, they have always failed, or, said ironically, have been successful to make themselves fail.
Well, this time they should probably not do that. Or Europe will tell them clearly they are hiding themselves as criminals.
A western diplomat, the outgoing Danish ambassador Karsten Ankj粠Jensen made that warning more than openly in his last interview to Java magazine. He called on Albanians not to accept to be governed by criminal official, hinting on those who try to avoid their confrontation to the law.
There have been many cases like that when lawmakers, ministers and other senior officials escape the law due to their immunity.
Lifting that immunity seems to be one of the four top priorities that the tiny western Balkan country should fulfill soon, very soon. The other three are the electoral reform, the parliamentary reform and that in justice.
That pushed the governing Democrats to send a draft to the parliament. Their smaller ally, the Socialist Movement for Integration sent two other at the parliament.
None sent from the opposition Socialists but they have also warned that such a move should be done, though not hastily.
Socialist leader Edi Rama said Tuesday they are very much in favor of lifting the immunity, adding that many of them accused of anything are already without immunity. But at the same time they said they will not rush to change the constitution as they did four years ago. Rama has already acknowledged that the constitutional amendments made four years ago were made in a rush, and have not given the waited results, or in other words they were wrong to have done them.
Some opposition lawmakers have also warned that Berisha wants such changes in order to take all his political opponents behind bars, meaning that he has the judiciary under his control too.
This week the parliament, in fact only the governing coalition, decided that they will start the procedure for such amendments in July 20 and the parliament will hold the session Aug. 6.
That is a sign, likely to Europe, that the Albanian parliamentarians are ready to postpone or to cut short their vacation time for such priorities.
The parliament has usually closed its session by the end of July.
The opposition responded saying they will not rush to make constitutional amendments this time.
But that means that the Democrats might turn to passing a reformatted law only with their votes. Which would mean that Europe would not be pleased and the country may fail again.
Well, these are just hints on what may occur, taking into account, pessimistically, the country’s previous experience, or better say, politics before.
It would be better to wait and see what they will do.
What Europe, and really Albanians too, want is that their lawmakers, judges, prosecutors and other top officials be equal to the law, like all the common people.
That could be a big step toward Europe and also one that would increase transparency in this country.