The Socialist majority will request the opinion of the Venice Commission on whether to extend the mandate of Albania’s judicial vetting bodies.
As part of Albania’s far-reaching justice reform, two commissions have been tasked with vetting all judges and prosecutors. Their mandates expire in June 2022, but only half of the country’s magistrates have gone through the process.
The Socialist majority in Parliament requests that their mandates be extended for another two years, with the support of the International Monitoring Operations (ONM) and the EU’s Ambassador in Albania.
If Parliament does not approve the extension of their mandate, then the High Judicial Council will vet the remaining magistrates.
The opposition does not oppose the extension, but it is using it as leverage to implement its own agenda. Namely, it requests the approval of their own constitutional amendments to change the current electoral system, and to enact a vetting process for MPs and other high-ranking politicians.
