TIRANA, April 20 – The first round of voting for the new president did not take place Wednesday, following a request from the governing Socialist Party’s parliamentary group.
The election of the country’s new head of state goes through five rounds that must be completed within 35 days of the first round. The winner should secure at least three fifth of the vote in the first three rounds and roughly 71 votes in the last two rounds.
If this is not possible, then the parliament will be dissolved and new elections must be held.
The election of a new president in Albania is a business affair. Leaders of the main parties have stepped up their negotiations although no official candidate is up for the vote. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the Socialist Party, Ilir Meta’s Socialist Movement for Integration, LSI, and smaller allies decided not put up a candidate in the first round, in an attempt to secure a consensual candidate.
“The opposition will have the space to be involved. We will not have a candidate in the first round. We are waiting for the opposition MPs to come to parliament to elect a consensual president,” he said in a televised interview.
The Democratic Party led by Lulzim Basha has been boycotting the parliament since February 18. They demand Rama’s resignation and the establishment of a caretaker government that can guarantee free and fair elections. Due to their unmet demands, the opposition parties have refused to register for the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 18.
The president, with a five-year mandate and a maximum of two terms, has a largely ceremonial role. The head of State’s powers are honorary, but he is responsible for the respect of the Constitution, he commands the armed forces, appoints and dismisses some of the high ranking civil servants and embodies the unity of the Albanian nation.
Bujar Nishani, the 6th President of the Republic of Albania since the fall of communism, was approved 5 years ago after three failed attempts following disagreements between the Democratic Party and Socialist Party, then in opposition. Nishani, former interior minister was the only candidate put forward by the Democratic Party. He was elected in the fourth round with the approval of 73 votes.
Opposition Socialist Party lawmakers attended the session but did not vote, refusing to support the “unilateral nomination” of Nishani.
This time as well, the election of the president is expected to highlight the deep divisions among Albania’s political class.
