Albania Parliament Declares Decree Scrapping Local Elections Invalid

Albania Parliament on 13 June 2019. Photo: Gent Shkullaku/LSA

About 100 out of 110 MPs present in the chamber on Thursday backed the resolution, which calls on public institutions to continue working in order to permit the local elections to take place on June 30 as planned. The resolution was prepared by the ruling Socialist Party.

President Meta called off the local elections, citing a planned opposition boycott and calling for compromise between the ruling Socialists and opposition parties.

The resolution called the presidential decree is "absolutely invalid" and said it breached the President's constitutional and legal competences, "and as such, should be considered null and as if it never existed".

Rama has vowed to seek the dismissal of the President, and while the resolution is not part of formal procedures to dismiss him from office, the fact that it received the support of 100 MPs is seen as a test of strength.

The opposition MPs relinquished their parliamentary mandates in February, claiming that parliament was illegitimate. However, most of their places have since been filled by rebels from their own parties. The question is whether these rebels will also back a push by Rama to remove Meta from office.

Under the constitution, the President can be removed if it is proved that he has "seriously breached" the constitution.

But this requires the support of two-thirds of all MPs in parliament, or 94 MPs in total. However, even if Rama obtains the support of parliament to oust Meta, he still also needs a Constitutional Court decision to validate the procedure - and the court is currently unable to issue any decisions because many posts on it are vacant.

The opposition has refused to field candidates for the local...

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