Political fight for the judiciary continues

TIRANA – The election of the new member of the High Council of Justice, or the KLD, and its deputy head has turned escalated into a source of conflict in the last days.
Governing Democrats gathered just enough votes, 71 in the 140-seat parliament, but also the least possible to elect their candidate. The process was considered as not democratic by the opposition Socialists who boycotted the voting though they had offered their own candidate.
Following that the fight went on at the KLD which is led by the country’s president, Bamir Topi. The president had nominated one among the KLD members for the post of deputy but not the new member elected from the Democrats. That sparked a harsh debate and resulted in no decision. After a fierce meeting Monday it was said that the voting would be held on Wednesday. But that day Topi went in a visit to neighboring Macedonia, which is in a very tense ethnic moment.
Justice Minister Eduard Halimi said that the president had violated the constitution through nominating a judge for the post. The president said that was nonsense as there was no word on that in the constitutional articles. That is an interpretation to the interests of the Democrats and considered them as holding the same persecution against him as if under the former communist regime.
Berisha too also threw harsh criticism on Topi’s and saying that was only the last violation of the constitution from that president. He added they did not aim at any impeachment to move him from the post, now since about two months have remained for his mandate.
The opposition Socialists will likely ask for a non-confidence vote for Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli accusing her of changing the voting process on purpose.