The Albanian Parliament voted on Wednesday June 9 the dismissal of the country's president Ilir Meta, accused by a commission of inquiry of having violated the Constitution by his participation in the electoral campaign during the legislative elections in April, while it is reasonable be neutral.
This decision is not final, however, and Ilir Meta, 52, will exercise his functions pending the opinion of the Constitutional Court, which must rule within three months.
Read also: Albania facing a shortage of honest judges
Ilir Meta, who has exercised the mainly honorary functions of Head of State since 2017, had during the electoral campaign exchanged spades with Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose Socialist Party won the legislative elections in April. He accused Edi Rama of authoritarianism and corruption, attacks rejected by the prime minister.
After the ballot, a parliamentary commission was set up to investigate the president's behavior in the campaign. According to his report presented on Wednesday, President Meta "
violated 16 articles of the Constitution
" by "
openly engaging in parliamentary elections on April 25 in favor of the opposition
", and "
for this reason he must be removed from office. its functions
”. His impeachment was approved by 104 deputies out of 121.
His cabinet immediately qualified the vote as an “
unconstitutional and ridiculous decision
”, “
a last step in electoral crime
” during the ballot, the results of which are still contested by the opposition. Ilir Meta had already indicated previously that he intended to remain in his post until the last day of the mandate, namely July 24, 2022.
"
Ilir Meta betrayed the mission of President of the Republic, he humiliated the Constitution, collapsed the institution of guarantor of national unity and he lost the right to remain in his post,
" said Edi Rama before the vote. Former Prime Minister and member of the Socialist Party, Ilir Meta left this formation to form in 2004 the Socialist Integration Movement. He has become the sworn enemy of Edi Rama.