Three Constitutional Court proposed members voted down

TIRANA, Nov. 2 – The parliament’s judicial commission decided to turn down three out of four candidacies the country’s president had offered for the posts of the judges at the Constitutional Court.
The commission, dominated by the governing Democratic Party lawmakers, said they did not comply with the moral and professional requirements. More concretely they said they did not enjoy the proper professional level, they were involved in defending renowned persons of crime or politics, have unjustified property, income or were not correct in paying their taxes.
The three candidates were Artan Hoxha, Ardian Leka and Edlira Jorgaqi, while a fourth, Fatmir Hoxha, was given the approval nod.
The next step would be a vote in the floor of the parliament.
The opposition tried to defend the three, saying the Democrats were politically motivated in justifying their negative response and accused them of trying to put the court under their control.
In response, a group of Democratic lawmakers asked the Constitutional Court to consider whether the way it is renovated with new names is appropriate.