Albania MPs Move Closer To Impeaching President

Albania MPs move closer to impeaching president

Tirana, May 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th May, 2021 ) :Albania's ruling socialists ramped up efforts to remove the country's president on Friday, accusing him of violating the constitution by taking sides in parliamentary elections last month.

Lawmakers voted to set up an investigative committee to decide on the impeachment of President Ilir Meta, who is supposed to be politically neutral.

He traded barbs throughout the campaign with Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose socialists won the parliamentary vote convincingly.

Meta quit his role as chief of a smaller party when he took up the largely ceremonial post of president in 2017.

Taulant Balla, head of the socialist parliamentary group, said the current group of MPs -- due to be replaced by the new intake on September 9 -- had "enough time.

.. to complete the impeachment process".

Meta's spokesman Tedi Blushi immediately dismissed the move, telling reporters the president would not recognise "any unconstitutional and illegitimate decision or activity of this parliament or any other institution that emanates from this kleptocratic regime".

"The president will exercise all constitutional functions with full responsibility until his last day in office in July 2022," he added.

During the electoral campaign, Meta accused Rama of authoritarianism and corruption, claims the prime minister shrugged off.

Meta was once a member of the socialist party but left to form his own movement in the early 2000s.