Tirana Times
Tirana, May 5 – With the election in parliament of Albania’s next president just two months away, an unofficial presidential campaign is taking place in public and behind closed doors with some candidates vying get the top job and party leaders aiming to get someone in the seat they believe will be good for their political position.
Constitutional amendments made in 2008 with the approval of the two major parties, but strongly opposed by smaller parties and civil society, made it possible for the president to be elected with a simple majority of 71 votes in parliament. It means the governing Democratic Party could technically elect one of its own politicians to the post, as it did with the current president, Bamir Topi. However, constitutional experts note parliament should look at the spirit of the constitution not just the letter of the law, arguing consensus is still necessary and indispensable in electing the head of state.
Albania’s president is elected in the 140-seat parliament with three-fifth of the votes in the first three rounds or a simple majority in the next two rounds. The constitution mandates the president must act in a non-partisan, independent and unifying manner. The voting is expected this June or July.
Calls for dialogue
If the two major parties would agree on the same name, the election would be easy, but so far the government has indicated it will elect its own candidate. Albania’s main opposition Socialist Party leaderEdi Rama askedPrime Minister Sali Berisha this week for a direct bilateral dialogue to negotiate on the election of the new president.
Following a recent failure to reach consensus on the candidate, Ramamade public a letter he had sentto Berisha. It noted the presidential election is “an important test for Albania” in its road to European Union integration, in which Tirana has failed two times to get the candidate status.
The letter was also sent to Berisha’s allies, theSocialistMovement for Integration of Ilir Meta, and also other parliamentary parties. SMI said it was willing to talk this week, while the governing Democrats have not responded yet. The majority is very weak at this point, and Berisha’s coalition might not muster enough votes in parliament to elect a president on its own, some analysts note.
Number of candidates increasing
Meanwhile the number of candidates for the postis increasing every day. These are unofficial candidates in an unofficial campaign, under Albanian law, as the nomination process takes place in parliament only.
They include former Socialist leader and Prime Minister Fatos Nano, who nominated himself, the Democratic Alliance’s nomination of its leader Neritan Ceka, and the former political persecuted organization’s candidate, Hajredin Fratari. A Christian Democratic political grouping headed by Zef Bushati has publicly nominated Democratic Party deputy head and Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli as the best candidate. Topalli, a woman and a Catholic, is also said to be on of the candidates the Democrats are considering.
Formally, 20 lawmakers are needed to nominate a candidate in parliament.
Old dog, old tricks
Former Socialist Prime Minister Nano declared his candidacy early on in the process. Nano’s popular support is dismal at best, analysts note, and he was decisively voted out of office by Albanian voters in 2005 with a perception of leading a corrupt government.
It’s not the first time Nano has tried to become president. He failed the first time, and is now campaigning again. He is lobbying with meetings of all the political parliamentary groupings in the country, party chairs, and ambassadors נmobilizing an army of journalists and public relations specialists for each meeting.
He met among others with the U.S. ambassador in Tirana, Alexander Arvizu, following which the American diplomat said he had met with Nano as a serious presidential candidate. The ambassador’s words did not indicate direct endorsement of the former prime minister, however.
Democrats and Socialists holding their cards tight
Both the governing Democrats of Prime Sali Berisha and the main oppositionSocialistsof Edi Rama have not made their candidates public. Opposition sources have indicated they are not going to offer a candidate as they do not have the numbers to elect him or her. While Berisha and the Democrats continue to say thecandidate will come from the Democratic Party ranks.
Berisha has, however, softened his words and has also said he would be open to negotiations with the opposition on thenewpresident. It is alsonotclear whetherBerishawill accept to meet with Rama personally or just delegate the talks to lower ranks.
Previous experiences have shown a deal can be reached through behind-the-scene negotiations and a consensual vote, as was the case with former President Alfred Moisiu, a bipartisan candidate.
A numbers game
Berisha has 67 seats in the parliament and together with his allies he could go to up to 72. That figure is enough to elect the new president in the fourth and fifth voting, which is said to occur within a day.
But there have been strong calls from the international community that the new president should be one that is accepted by both sides.
Those numbers were also further threatened this week when a new party was founded with former members of the governing Democratic Party. The new party, known as the New Democratic Spirit, was founded by Democratic Party lawmaker, Gazmend Oketa, and others close to President Bamir Topi, a move that may further shake up the already polarized political scene in the country.
It is expected that following the end of his mandate in July, Topi may take charge of the newcenter-right party.
Though the political scene is dominated by the two big parties, such smaller parties have shown they turn into kingmakers, like the case of theSocialistMovement for Integration of Ilir Meta that split from the opposition Socialistsand now are allies with the governing Democrats.
The role
The President of the Republic of Albania, according to the county’s constitution, is a non-partisan, unifying figure that serves as head of state and head of independent institutions like the armed forces and the High Council of Justice.
The country is primarily run by the prime minister, as head of government, but the Albanian president’s role is somewhat stronger than that of a German president but a far weaker role than that of French or American head of state.
Constitutional changes in 2008 further weakened the office of the president, as political parties tried to grab more power for the executive branch.
