TIRANA, Sept. 4 – In Albania, the parliamentary investigative commission set up to dismiss President Ilir Meta may call the latter at a hearing starting next week, while having already started work to dismiss him.
The Commission also clarified during its meeting on Tuesday that it will wait for the Venice Commission’s opinion to issue its final report.
Meanwhile, President Ilir Meta reacted by saying the Socialists attempts to dismiss him are simply spreading propaganda aimed at diverting attention from resolving the political crisis.
The parliamentary investigation commission that will assess the legality of President Ilir Meta’s act in cancelling the June 30 local elections’ date arguing they will be unconstitutional approved its action plan on Tuesday.
The first point of this action plan is holding a hearing for Meta.
“The fastest date may be the start of next week, but we will determine the date and time in cooperation with the vice president,” said Socialist commission leader Ulsi Manja.
The commission has in the meantime received the responses of some of the institutions which it has addressed, but the Venice Commission’s opinion appears to be crucial, as a delegation has announced a visit to Tirana next week.
“The Venice Commission’s opinion will have to be expected by the Special Investigative Commission to reach a conclusion on the subject of the investigation,” Manja explained.
The commission’s deadline is October 8, but if the Venice Commission takes beyond that date to communicate its opinion, an extension is expected to be requested.
As the parliamentary committee was holding its session, Meta reacted through a Facebook status.
“Anti-President propaganda does not help the rule of law which is a European Union condition for the opening of negotiations with our country on October 18. Momentarily stealing attention from the obligation to abide by the October 13 decree on comprehensive local elections does not help resolve the crisis, but helps escalate it,” wrote Meta, who has long insisted that the only solution to the political is holding the local elections on the date set by him on the second issued decree, though any possible legal deadline has been exceeded.
The president’s reaction also seemed to relate to the fact that today the permanent Parliamentary Committees overturned a series of decrees signed by him at the end of July, through which he returned several bills to parliament, starting from the concession construction contracts of two road axes to the amendments on the Law on Concessions, those to the Criminal Code and the Law on Privatization and another on the Academy of Sciences.
