TIRANA, Nov. 11 – Albanian President Ilir Meta and Prime Minister Edi Rama publicly exchanged commentary again on Saturday, when Rama re-sent his proposal to make General Sander Lleshi the country’s new interior minister to Meta to decree, although Meta rejected it last week.
Meta’s spokesperson Ted Blushi said Meta has begun the process of cooperating with all the relevant institutions to become clear on all the questions he had since the start but which he did not manage to, despite all the efforts.
“Concerning the new process, he has decided to also inform the head of parliament on all his questions, as the procedure of naming a new minister is a mandatory cooperative process between three institutions – prime minister, president, parliament,” Blushi said.
Rama responded to Meta’s statement through his Head of Communication Endri Fuga.
Fuga said Rama appreciates Meta efforts to receive clear and full answers, but added Meta had not asked any clarifications from Rama after sending him a letter where he, without offering any reason or justification, rejected Lleshi and asked to meet Rama.
Further on, Fuga stated Meta will receive the answers to all the questions he had sent in the form of a written letter on Monday morning.
“Also in function of exhaustively addressing the issue, which President Met has not raised as an issue during his meeting with the prime minister, but only express it in written form, as a questionnaire to the minister of defense, only yesterday, the President will receive along with his answers an exhaustive solution, which doesn’t leave place for any interpretations. From any side,” Rama’s statement highlighted.
Last week, after former Minister of Interior Fatmir Xhafaj unexpectedly resigned his post, Meta refused to sign the decree on Lleshi’s appointment.
The official motives of this decision have not yet become official and there is not even an official act coming from the president for his decision, apart from the letter sent to Rama saying that “he was not able to create full conviction to trust Lleshi.”
Meta’s stand on the issue has been accompanied with public debate.
During his parliamentary speech last Monday, Rama insisted the president cannot reject the appointment of a government member and went on to make Lleshi deputy minister of interior, but will all competences of a minister himself.
Asked again on Friday, Meta stood by his decision to reject Lleshi, while also speaking of the legal motivations behind his rejection.
“For what it concerns the legal part, without wanting to give lectures on the Constitution to amateurs, dilettants or those who are biased, I would invite them to read the Constitution and the president’s competences again and see only his oath is formal or ceremonial,” Meta said.
Meanwhile, both the US Embassy to Tirana and the EU delegation have reacted to the news of Lleshi’s appointment as deputy MoI by stressing it is vital the interior ministry if fully functional.
Analysts and independent political observers also claimed Albania has fallen into a sudden constitutional crisis throughout last week, while also raising concerns about Lleshi’s appointment as deputy minister as unprofessional.
