TIRANA – President of Albania Ilir Meta has presented political parties in the country with a platform for advancing EU-related reforms and resolving the country’s constitutional and political crisis.
According to Exit portal, Meta’s main proposals include the completion of the electoral reform, justice reform, establishment of the Constitutional Court, removal from office of the chair of the Justice Appointment Council Ardian Dvorani and government withdrawal from the controversial “anti-defamation” package of media laws.
One of the proposals is that any legal or constitutional amendment related to justice reform must be adopted only through unanimous consensus of the Political Council consisting of majority and opposition members. The Political Council should also agree to appoint a chief negotiator for EU accession by the end of June.
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In a Twitter post, Prime Minister Edi Rama denied receiving the President’s platform, but said that he was ready to sit across the table from him, the opposition inside and outside of the Parliament and the partners of the justice reform in order to agree its final stages, Albanian Daily News reports.
Meanwhile opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha called a party meeting on the topic of electoral reform earlier today.
The DP has previously declared that the Socialist Party (SP) and Prime Minister Edi Rama have no will to advance the reform. According to them, the ruling majority has not responded to any of the proposals made by the opposition representatives in the Political Council. Nevertheless, the Party discussed its proposal at today’s meeting.
In a tweet, PM Rama welcomed the “return of the parliamentary opposition to the table” and assessed that it was “better late than never”.
US Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim commended the Democratic Party’s decision to tackle the issue.
“We welcome the decision of DP Chair Lulzim Basha to conclude electoral reform. We look forward to other leaders showing similar leadership”, she wrote on Twitter.
Co-chair of the Committee on Electoral Reform, MP Rudina Hajdari, also expressed appreciation for the move.