Socialists, Democrats and state institutions debate transition decisions, nominations and state finances, as Albanians worry about rise in crime
TIRANA, July 17 – As Albanians see one government out and wait for the next to be sworn in, unease is accompanying the summer heat in Albania over a perceived ebbing in state power and services as the political transition draws out.
After holding smooth elections, in which Albanians voted in a landslide for change in government, the country is undergoing a transition accompanies by some uncertainty. Rule of law has been challenged more than usual and political conflict over the performance of state services during the transition has been growing.
In addition to rampant illegal construction during this period, there has been an increase in violent crime, including two cases of highway robbery, of the type that had virtually disappeared from Albanian headlines. A Montenegrin family was robbed on the main highway between Kosovo and Albania. Another family from Albania saw four of its members shot and wounded as the driver didn’t stop for masked gunmen in a rural patch of road near the northern town of Puka.
Lawmakers from the incoming majority of the Socialist-led government have urged police to tighten up measures as the new government prepares to take over in September, while the country’s top police official called an emergency meeting of police chiefs, ordering them to tighten up law and order of face legal consequences.
The country’s president also recently gathered the leaders of a series of independent institutions, telling them to keep at peak performance during and after the political transition.
But both the president and the outgoing government have raised some eyebrows among the public and have drawn anger from the incoming majority over last-minute appointments and some financially costly decisions.
President’s comments raise eyebrows
As Albania prepares to transfer power to the newly-elected government, President Bujar Nishani convened Albania’s top officials of what are considered to be institutions that are independent of the executive branch to urge them to keep working as independent bodies and not succumb to potential political pressure from the new government. Elected in 2012, Nishani’s tenure as head of state is also not affected by the change in government.
The president met with the heads of the Central Bank, Office of the Prosecutor General, the Supreme Court, the High State Audit, the Income Declaration Inspectorate and the High Council of Justice.
Though Nishani has publicly congratulated the Socialists for winning the elections, the president himself is a former senior official of the Democratic Party government, which lost the elections, and the Socialists boycotted his election seeking a consensual president instead.
Socialists say Nishani has until now served his previous political party and leader, incumbent Prime Minister Sali Berisha instead of being impartial.
Nishani has made a series of nominations in the justice system with persons who have been personally accused by political parties of being biased. The president has also often been a target of calls by the international community to behave impartially and carefully.
The High Council of Justice, a judicial governing body led by President Nishani, appointed several new judges in early July, many of whom have handed down controversial verdicts favorable to the outgoing ruling party in high-profile cases.
The presidency is a nonpartisan office in Albania, but Nishani was a member of the then-ruling Democratic Party when he was narrowly elected president by parliament in July 2012. The Democrats lost recent elections to a Socialist-led coalition.
His latest meeting with the heads of institutions appeared to aims to aim to shore up the power of independent officials who had been nominated by the outgoing government and parliamentary majority.
Nishani told the officials to be brave and not to fear any potential retribution from the incoming majority.
“We are at the start of a power transition from one majority to the other. Coping successfully, democratically and professionally is the main task of this meeting,” he said.
Nishani also acknowledged that priorities of the new government may be different from those of the previous one. But he called on the new government to properly implement the laws of the country.
“We are at a serious time for our European future,” said Nishani, calling on the top officials not to fear any possible pressure when the next government takes office in September.
“Any external political interference should not be considered as an obstacle which needs to meet a legal response,” he said.
The meeting comes after leader of the opposition Socialists, Edi Rama, who won the June 23 election and who is expected to be the next premier, made critical comments after meetings last week with Nishani, the central bank governor and prosecutor general.
Rama told reporters Nishani should do more to serve as a proper head of state and not continue to be “the notary public” of the outgoing prime minister. He added the bank governor Fullani should be careful with the public finances and that prosecutor general should work harder to show tangible results.
Outgoing Democrats say transition normal, incoming Socialists concerned
The government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party will manage the country until early September when it hands over the power to the still formal opposition Socialist Party-led coalition of Edi Rama. The transition has not been free of political conflict, however.
The Socialists have expressed concern on many issues. The incumbent government, on the other hand, insists that everything is under control.
The Socialists accused Defense Minister Arben Imami of selling some state properties in doubtful tenders with unfair prices, much lower than the market ones. The ministry responds saying they have passed over the competencies of the former army properties to the finance ministry, which needs to the money to run the country.
The opposition is accusing the government of spending almost all the annual budget and leaving the state coffers empty for the new government. They claim that the government may leave the budget with a deficit of up to $400 million and make it very difficult for the new government to even pay the public salaries, pensions and other necessities.
The Socialists have publicly said they will launch an international audit of the government institutions to learn the real situation and also know at what financial level they will take over.
The opposition is also accusing the power company CEZ Shperndarje of making efforts to leave the country without power this winter as it is spending all the water reserves at the hydro power plants to sell it abroad.
CEZ Shperndarje, which is being managed by the Albanian state after the former Czech-owned company was forced out this year, is saying that it has paid some $181 million of debts and assures nothing is going to happen this winter.
Rama, Meta start work on new government
Rama, leader of the Socialist Party, and Ilir Meta of the Socialist Movement for Integration Party, have held several meetings as they prepare to come up with a government after their of their leftist coalition won the June 23 national elections in a landslide victory over the governing Democratic Party of incumbent Prime Minister Berisha.
Meta was until the end of March part of Berisha’s governing coalition. He left it to join the then opposition’s pre-election coalition.
There has been no news on the topics of the discussions between the two leaders. But it is generally believed they are discussing on how to divide the cabinet posts and how to run the government.
With 16 lawmakers, the SMI is a determining factor in the next government.
Rama has also been meeting other SMI officials. The cabinet is expected to be created in early September, before the new parliament convenes, possibly on Sept. 6.
