President Ilir Meta has requested information from the Albanian prosecution on Prime Minister Rama’s cabinet picks. This is the first time that the president has made such a request public.
In a document published by Albania-based BalkanWeb, Meta’s office has asked to know whether there are any ongoing investigations into the 16 names that will head the country’s ministries.
The President has to give his approval to each minister once the cabinet is voted in parliament, where Rama’s Socialist Party holds a majority.
Rama announced his new cabinet last week during a party meeting, but he has yet to submit them to parliament.
By law, even if a person is the subject of an ongoing investigation, that does not prohibit him/her from becoming minister.
The Albanian President and Prime Minister Rama have clashed several times in the past.
In June, the Socialist-led Parliament dismissed President Meta, alleging serious violations of the Constitution. The case is now before the Albanian Constitutional Court that will have the last say on the matter of Meta’s dismissal.
