TIRANA, July 16 – With few days to go before a much-rumored justice reform is voted in Parliament, the ruling Socialist Party and the opposition Democrats seem more divided than ever over one of the country’s most important reforms in the past 25 years of transition to democracy that is expected to reform the highly perceived corrupt justice system and pave the way for the country’s EU accession talks.
The opposition Democrats and the Socialist Movement for Integration, the Socialists’s junior partner, oppose the proposed decision-making role of the internationals in the vetting of judges and prosecutors, claiming that the country’s sovereignty is put at risk.
A hybrid proposal by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland bridging the gap between the government and the opposition failed to break the deadlock over the scheduled July 21 vote just before Parliament’s summer recess.
U.S. ambassador to Albania Donald Lu has appealed for a new meeting between Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader Lulzim Basha for last-minute compromise.
“I challenge the Prime Minister and the head of the opposition to meet face-to-face on Monday (July 18) and to publicly promise that they will not leave the room until they have a solution to the last issue of this reform. Let us see who is really in favor of supporting a compromise. This will solve the problem in one of two ways. Either they will find a solution both government and opposition can support. Or they will be locked in a room together, forever,” said Lu.
“Several months ago I asked who is the most afraid of this reform? Organized crime bosses? Corrupt judges? Or criminal politicians? Today, the answer is clear. All of them are afraid and they are fighting back,” added Lu.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that he would accept any changes made by the opposition Democratic Party if the package gets the seal of approval from the European Union and United States. “On July 21 we are ready to vote anything the Democratic Party will include in the draft of the justice reform, as long as it is approved by the EU and the U.S. and is in full line with the criteria required from Albania in its EU integration process,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said.
The chairman of the Democratic Party Lulzim Basha responded to Rama calling his words “midday hypocrisy” as the opposition’s latest proposal is already available and public.
The draft package aims to perform “deep surgery” on Albania’s justice system by revamping and empowering judicial institutions.
The constitutional amendments require more two-thirds of the 140 votes in the parliament or about 94 MPs, which the Socialist Party-led ruling coalition doesn’t have. The Socialist’s junior partners, the SMI, which has about 20 seats in Parliament, has said it will vote the reform only if it gets broad political support, including the opposition Democratic Party.
