TIRANA, Dec. 18 – Albania’s ruling Socialist Party lawmakers approved Arta Marku as temporary chief prosecutor Monday morning, as the opposition protested both inside and outside the parliament hall.
The new chief prosecutor was selected with 69 out of 140 votes in parliament, which the opposition says is unconstitutional.
Upon declaring Marku temporary chief prosecutor, the parliamentary program was postponed, while the opposition lawmakers released smoke grenades inside the building and protesters clashed with police outside.
The protest began at 10 a.m., with DP deputies meeting inside the parliament and protesters outside, where a large number of police forces also gathered to avoid any possible incidents.
The Democrats were joined by the Socialist Movement for Integration in the protest.
Television footage showed pushing and shoving between security officials and police. One SMI MP said she had been hit and bloodied by police. Several protesters were arrested.
The head of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, called the vote a “constitutional coup.”
Basha called it a “dramatic day for the parliament,” underlining that both the constitution and justice reform predict a separation of powers between the prosecution and the government.
“This is an anti-constitutional session. The Socialists are preparing a coup, but powers should be separated from one another,” Basha said.
Basha met with DP allies on Sunday and, at the end of their meeting, called citizens to join the protest against the SP’s decision to choose the next temporary chief prosecutor through a simple parliamentary majority vote.
According to Basha, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s aim in choosing a temporary chief prosecutor without first establishing the judicial body which, according to the justice reform, would select the next Prosecutor General – the KLP – is to name a “political prosecutor” and to get rid of the records that could endanger former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri and shed light on any alleged ties between the government and criminal activities.
“Rama has one purpose, to name a political prosecutor to protect his incriminated power. If Edi Rama finalizes his constitutional coup tomorrow, he does it at a great cost, exterminating the justice reform and the democratic cohabitation,” Basha said after a DP meeting on Sunday.
The Socialists say the place to challenge this issue is in the Constitutional Court not through protests.
SP Parliamentary Group Chairman Taulant Balla said the actions of the Socialist majority had the backing of the United States and the European Union.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said all of Albania would pay the price of the opposition’s actions now that the country is so close to opening negotiations with the European Union.
“I did all I could for consensus,” Rama said. “This was a legitimate solution, even-though this was not our first choice.”
This is a developing story. Follow www.tiranatimes.com to stay updated.
