TIRANA (Albania), July 9 (SeeNews) – Albania’s parliament said it has approved the establishment of an inquiry committee based on a motion for impeachment of the country’s president Ilir Meta over his decision to cancel local elections.
On June 10, Meta signed a decree to cancel the municipal elections set for June 30 after the main opposition parties refused to participate in the vote.
The president’s decision violates the constitutional principles of a parliamentary republic, the president’s competencies defined by the constitution and the people’s fundamental right to vote, the head of the legal affairs committee in parliament and member of governing Socialist Party Ulsi Manja said in a press release late on Monday.
The inquiry committee is expected to issue a report in three months on the alleged wrongdoing by Meta, the parliament said.
The parliament will vote on the motion to impeach the president which was signed by 55 members of parliament after it goes through a rigorous parliamentary procedure, the head of the Socialist Party's parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, said.
If more than 2/3 of lawmakers back the motion, it will be sent to the constitutional court which will have the final say, Balla added.
On June 14, the parliament said it approved a motion against the president’s decision to cancel the local elections backed by 100 MPs.
The Socialist Party lost only in one of Albania's 61 municipalities, according to preliminary results of the June 30 vote. The main opposition parties boycotted the vote.
Opposition lawmakers gave up their seats in parliament in February, refusing dialogue with prime minister Edi Rama and calling instead for a transitional government without Rama that would be tasked with preparing early parliamentary elections.
The opposition has organized several rallies since the middle of February, accusing the government of corruption and electoral fraud and demanding snap elections.
Representatives of international institutions in Albania have warned the opposition against using violence and called on them to enter dialogue with the government.