Parliamentary commission draft opens BoA top post to foreigners

President’s list of proposals leaked, shows three Albanian experts to be discussed as options.
TIRANA, Dec. 4 – The Parliament’s Economy Commission decided Tuesday that foreign citizens may also be head of the Bank of Albania top post of governor. That came after the proposal of a number of Socialist lawmakers ahead of the decree expected by President Bujar Nishani on the new name.
The BoA has a temporary head since September after the former governor Ardian Fullani was fired following the scandal of the theft of some $7 million by its reserves. The bank’s supervisory board is also missing some of its members.
According to the law the president elects the governor among the nine members of the supervisory board. There have been continuous meeting between the president and Prime Minister Edi Rama for the issue.
Nishani has said that it is up to him to decide the new name and he is in favor of an Albanian in the post, turning down the idea of a foreign banker.
Rama has said he wants a foreigner to lead the central bank.
Nishani is expected to name the governor soon, based on a list of 42 candidates. Local media has said three candidates have been shortlisted, and that Arjan Kadareja, an Albanian- Canadian expert who works for the European Central Bank, is seen as one of the favorites.
However, any candidate nominated by the president would have to have support of the Socialist-led ruling majority to win the needed votes in parliament.