Parliament ends summer session, gov’t reshuffle approved

TIRANA, July 29 – The parliament ended its session early Tuesday following a marathon day with many political clashes but also with some acts resulting in voting in a general reconciliatory tone.
The parliament voted in favor of the government reshuffle.
Former Education Minister Genc Pollo moved to the deputy premier’s post, left vacant since March after Gazmend Oketa moved to replace resigned Fatmir Mediu at the defense minister’s post following the Gerdec blast.
Pollo’s place was taken by Fatos Beja and Anila Godo replaced Nard Ndoka at the health minister’s post.
Ndoka’s Christian Democrats abstained the vote. While the opposition voted against.
Beja’s post as deputy parliament speaker was taken by Ilir Rusmajli of the governing Democratic party (Rusmajli was justice minister until November last year.)
New IDs and biometric passports was one of the topics that attracted most of the debate during the night. The opposition said that the government had failed again to issue them on time for the next year’s general elections, something that was turned down by the interior ministry.
The parliament also voted to fill the six vacant places of the judges at the Supreme Court and also that at the High Council of Justice.
That was opposed by the opposition saying that there should have been more than one candidate for the post. The opposition boycotted its voting process. A day earlier Fatmir Xhafaj also said that the opposition was also considering ending the cooperation with the governing coalition in the justice reform due to that voting.
The voting process was the end of a long saga of a political fight between the governing Democrats and the country’s president, their former deputy leader.
Despite what one may call the session a success it should not be forgotten that the parliament failed in two main reforms: that of the elections and its code, and the lustration draft law.
Both were postponed for September.
The parliament also decided to postpone by one month the mandate of the parliamentary commission in charge of the electoral reform giving it time in September to complete the work on the electoral code.
Speaker Jozefina Topalli considered the last session as that of big consensus and reforms, referring to the constitutional amendments in April.
“The future session will be that of the agenda of new challenges,” she said.