TIRANA, September 9/ATA/- The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on ousting President Ilir Meta convened today for a hearing session with President Meta about him cancelling June 30th as the date for holding the local elections and setting October 13th as the new election date.
Head of the Parliamentary Commission Ulsi Manja stated at the beginning of the session that “The Committee should look beyond the concrete case. Adherence to principles is often put to the test by relying on principles. ”
“The constitution does not provide details on exercise of powers, but the leaders of the state are the ones who encourage them,” said Manja.
Further on, President Meta took the floor saying that, “All my acts are already made public. Besides Albania’s Constitution, to cancel June 30 as the date of local elections, I am also based on the International Court of Human Rights, and on the Association and Stabilization Agreement.
The President said that it was his duty to guarantee the international obligations of the Republic of Albania.
Saying that the Constitution is based on political pluralism, he emphasized that citizens should have it crystal clear that there is a distinction between voting and free and fair elections.
“The president has a duty more than the government itself to guarantee the international obligations of the Republic of Albania, therefore the mandate of the president is 5 years and the government 4 years. In consideration of this constitutional principle every kind of deadline is entirely secondary, while the protection of the election right is paramount. No one more than the European Court of Human Rights can explain more clearly this right of choice,” said Meta.
President Meta also said that one of the reasons that pushed him to cancel the June 30 local elections was the fact that he had obtained some secret information saying that during June 8 protest of the opposition, the Albanian Parliament would be burnt./gj.mima/p.s./
