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Albanian Parliament to hold first round of voting for new President

Presidency of Albania; Photo: Institution of the President of the Republic of Albania

ata_maliTIRANA – Albania’s Parliament will hold the first round of voting to elect the country’s new President on Wednesday, ATA reports.

Under the Constitution, the President is elected by Parliament in a secret vote. In the first three rounds a candidate needs to be backed by at least three fifth of the 140 MPs, or 84 backers. Candidates should be nominated by at least 20 MPs.

The governing majority is not expected to forward any name for the post in the first round of voting in a bid to reach a deal with the opposition democrats on a consensual candidate. The centre-right opposition has boycotted parliament for two-months now and refused to attend the yesterday’s voting session for creation of ad hoc committees that will select candidates for the vetting bodies.

In case parliament fails to elect a president in three rounds of voting, another two rounds are held where the candidate is elected on a simple majority. In they too prove unsuccessful, parliament is dissolved and general elections are called.

The President has a five-year mandate. The incumbent Bujar Nishani was elected in 2012 and his term ends in July.

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