Debate between prime minister and president on the issue of the deputy head of the High Council of Justice is inserting politics and personal conflict where there is no need for them.
Tirana Times Editorial
Tirana, April 19 – In a country where politics are often seen as a national sport, every step, no matter how mundane and uncontroversial it has been in the past, becomes a battle where the lines must be drawn for another charge. That was the case in the election of a new member of the High Council of Justice. And again, it appears it will be the case in the selection of the deputy head of the same body, which has become a source of political conflict.
The ruling Democratic Party barely gathered enough votes to elect its candidate to the council, in a vote the opposition Socialists used to test the ruling majority’s ability to stay together.
In the past, the member of the council elected by parliament and who is not usually a sitting judge has gone on to become deputy head of the council. That’s particularly the case since the incoming member in this case is taking the seat on the council left open by the former deputy head who resigned following a political fight with the Democrats.
The council is a constitution-based body led by the country’s president, Bamir Topi, but the day-to-day affairs are run by the deputy head. The president gets to nominate one of the members to be a deputy, but in a political decision the president decided to nominate one of the existing members of the council to become the deputy head — not the new member elected by the Democrats. That sparked a harsh debate and the vote was postponed until after Topi’s visit to neighboring Macedonia.
This break has allowed for both Justice Minister Eduard Halimi and his boss, Prime Minister Sali Berisha, to accuse the president of violating the constitution through nominating a judge for the post. The president, through one of his advisers, says that’s nonsense. And adds Berisha can’t speak about constitutional violations since he violated the basic laws of the country many times when he was head of state.
At the end of the day, this is not about the constitution, the council or how to run the justice system in Albania. This is about politics getting too political and personal in the very basic constitutional institutions needed to run the state. Berisha and Topi will face each-other in the 2013 elections and they are using every chance they get to attach each other’s reputations – not so the country can run more smoothly – but to get ahead in their political ambitions. This of course sits in fine with the opposition, which also sees it as an opportunity for political gain.
But this is when politics get too political and personal. The justice system in Albania faces huge challenges and it needs the council to operate normally in a non-partisan, non-political way. The debate between the prime minister and president on the issue of the deputy head of the high council of justice is inserting politics and personal conflict where there is no need for them – and it needs to stop.
