Opposition wants parliament debate on the premier

TIRANA, Oct 28 – The main opposition Socialist party repeated that its request for a motion of debate with Prime Minister Sali Berisha was postponed by the governing majority and Speaker Jozefina Topalli.
The socialists said they had already asked since three weeks for the debate on the case of the Bosnian businessman Damir Fazlic and his alleged links with the premier’s family. But they were told by Topalli they would have the answer within the 30-day period as defined in the parliament’s statute.
The opposition has exploited Fazlic’s case, his involvement in Albanian politics and business, his links to Berisha’s daughter, a lawyer, to ask for the premier’s resignation saying that he was exploiting public resources for personal favors.
That made a radical change of their policy which until now did not mention the resignation as some other smaller opposition parties said.
The opposition also threatened to stop the collaboration on the judicial reform following efforts from the government to put all the independent institutions under its control through some seven draft laws it has prepared and which need to be passed by the 140-seat parliament with three-fifth, or 84 votes.
The opposition had also asked for another parliamentary debate on the March 15 blast in Gerdec ammunition disposal factory which killed 26 and injured 300 people.