Justice reforms hampered from political fight

TIRANA, Nov 10 – The High Council of Justice is at a deadlock. Four of its members’ mandate expire, and they should be replaced.
But the required law reforms needed for the judges to elect their four members have been blocked due to the absence in parliament of the opposition which is boycotting asking for the recount of some dozen ballot boxes of the June 28 parliamentary election.
Supreme Court head Shpresa Becaj convened a roundtable meeting earlier this week to find a way out of this impasse.
Becaj insisted they should prepare a temporary law to elect the new Council members without waiting for the parliament to pass the required laws.
That idea was harshly opposed by deputy head of the Council, Kreshnik Spahiu.
The Council is led by the country’s president.
The judges made a joint statement urging politicians to give an end to their friction prohibiting their normal working and also asking the Justice Ministry to also include their opinion in the justice reform steps.
They also decided to be ‘self-administered independently” and are to convene a meeting of all the judges around the country in early December to discuss their independence, increase of transparency and public trust and also elect their representatives at the Council.
The opposition says they are convinced to continue their boycott until their request for the vote transparency is fulfilled.
Meanwhile the justice reforms, and many others linked to the country’s integration processes and more, have been blocked waiting for clearance of the June vote.