TIRANA, Feb. 19 – President Ilir Meta has lately roughened the political debate concerning the parliament’s votes and appointments, by signaling he may approve a decree that will dissemble the parliament, which he considers abnormal.
“They may take them by law and I will answer through decrees. They may come with tanks at the president’s building, and they can be sure they will receive the most amazing answer. I am prepared for everything. I made my statement one year ago. Before they fire me, the Albanian people will fire them,” Meta said.
This is not the first time that Meta opposed the Albanian parliament, as he has earlier said the institution is illegitimate and should dissemble itself.
“This is not the most important thing, I believe this parliament, which is fast mounting the delegitimization of all institutions, can only do one thing well and that is to dissemble itself. The parliament is out of standard, because it should have 140 members. This is an illegitimate parliament,” Meta said a few days back.
Meta cites the Constitution, which says the parliament should be made up of 140 members elected through a proportional system, in stating the institution is illegitimate.
Meta’s statements are also a direct response to the majority wanting to fire him from his post – an action for which it has even addressed the Venice Commission.
Meanwhile, Socialist MP Ulsi Manja said this kind of initiative by the president is an absurdity and said it is impossible, as Albania is a Parliamentary Republic and Meta is in the process of being fired.
“The President is the process of being fired by the Albanian government, it’s all within the legal boundaries set by the parliament. Concerning the parliament’s disassemblement by the president, the constitution has again made the cases when that is possible clear and thinking about other scenarios is absurd,” he said, adding it would be the constitution’s biggest assassination.
In response, Meta’s media advisor Ted Blushi said the parliament will be disassembled by the people, and the president will simply follow.
“The parliament will be disassembled by the people. The president will simply follow its will. The people will also decide the decree on returning the law on the coup d’etat. The president will simply sign on its will. There will be a few decrees for the coup d’etat. Be patient – the decrees will be incorporated by the Albanian people,” Blushi wrote.
After these statements, Meta also met opposition’s Democratic leader Lulzim Basha, who said he was introduced with “shocking facts.”
Blushi notified that during their meeting Meta has ensured Basha he is engaged in stopping what he calls a ‘coup d’etat.’
“Meta let Basha know of the latest anti-constitutional scandals and the Rebirth’s efforts for coup d’etat and asked the DP leader to inform other opposition parties’ leaders,” Blushi wrote.
Basha said the shocking news was related to what the president calls “the government’s efforts to capture the state.”
“We have said, I want to repeat it, capturing the Constitutional Court is Edi Rama’s goal. Edi Rama needs the constitutional court to protect and release criminals, through whom he has come to power. He needs the Constitutional Court to protect the illegitimate power, which is a product of his cooperation with crime and has been openly and criminally invested to protect the Constitutional Court,” Basha said.
US Ambassador: “Demonstrate maturity and respect for institutions”
The new US Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim met with Rama, Meta and Basha on Wednesday and issued a statement briefly after, in which she mentioned how important it is for the US that the Albanian government respects democratic processes and the international community’s solidarity and desire to help the Albanian people.
“I met today with PM Edi Rama, President Ilir Meta, and DP Chair Lulzim Basha to discuss recent developments and U.S. expectations. With specific reference to the donors’ conference in Brussels, we believe it reflects the solidarity, support, and desire of the international community to help the Albanian people with reconstruction efforts after the earthquake. We also discussed our expectation that there will be transparency and accountability throughout this process. Beyond the donors’ conference, I discussed also the important steps that Albania needs to undertake in the coming weeks and months, by demonstrating maturity, respect for institutions, and faith in democratic processes. We expect Albania’s leaders to conduct themselves in a manner that is responsible and has the aim of benefiting the Albanian people. We assure the Albanian people that we will be there to watch and contribute,” Kim said.
President addresses new justice reform body on clash with majority
On Monday Meta released new documents to the SPAK to speed up investigations into what he called “the criminal activity of Ardian Dvorani, the chairman of the Justice Appointments Council, during his term”.
Meta added these documents to the November criminal report, where he accused Dovani of violating the constitutional court’s quorum, thus “immediately abusing the public office through which he seeks the political apprehension of the Constitutional Court.”
Meta said in a press release that “Dvorani is trying to occupy himself the vacant position in the Constitutional Court through delaying the process of filling this court, misinformation and violations s the head of the Justice Appointments Council.”
Meta said the parliament on the one hand invited the Venice Commission to interpret the oath of constitutional judges, but the day before their delegation arrived in Tirana the parliament changed it itself under the law on the oath of the constitutional judge, without waiting for a response from the Venice Commission.
“This law aims to put this process under political control of the Socialist Party and to promote the integrity of every new member of the Constitutional Court, giving the message that any appointment to this Court will go through a test of political loyalty,” said Meta.
He stressed that he would go to the Venice Commission on his own to explain what was happening in Tirana with institutions and justice reform.
“The Republic of Albania is experiencing the worst situation of state capture on the continent, but I will not accept the installation of a coup by turning the most important institution of justice, the Constitutional Court, into an unconstitutional PPP state police,” said Meta.
The parties sought the Venice Commission as an arbitrator, but the Socialist majority approved in parliament a change in the law on the organization of the Constitutional Court which aims to avoid swearing the members of this court to the president.
The constitution expressly states that “the judge of the Constitutional Court shall take office after taking an oath before the President of the Republic of Albania.”
