President Ilir Meta has presented political parties in Albania with a platform for advancing reforms and resolving the country’s constitutional and political crisis.
Meta’s main proposals include the completion of the electoral reform, amendments related to justice reform should be agreed with the opposition, establishment of the Constitutional Court, removal from office of the chair of the Justice Appointment Council Ardian Dvorani, government withdrawal from the anti-defamation package and changes to the swear-in procedure for Constitutional Court members.
The President has presented his proposal to the Socialist majority, opposition parties and all Western countries’ embassies in Albania.
Following is a summary of the 14 proposals of the platform:
- The majority and opposition steadfastly commit to finalizing the Electoral Reform.
- Justice Appointment Council must continue functioning. It must submit the lists for three candidates to the Constitutional Court to the President, Parliament and President.
- JAC must consent to participation of the Ombudsman in the entire duration of its activity.
- In the context of three recent appointments at the High Court, the current JAC Chair immediately loses all rights to continue exercising his term, long overdue, as member of the High Court, and consequently as JAC Chair.
- JAC continues functioning presided by the Deputy Chair.
- The Albanian Parliament immediately tackles every legal vacuum, so that either the President or Parliament draw the lot to fill in JAC vacancies within a calendar year.
- The Albanian Parliament withdraws from any legal changes in the swearing-in procedure for Constitutional Court members.
- The Albanian Parliament withdraws from its “antislander package”.
- Any legal or constitutional amendment related to justice reform must be done only through unanimous consensus of the Political Council consisting of majority and opposition members.
- Majority and opposition at the Political Council agree within June to appoint a chief negotiator for EU accession.
- All High Court judges are appointed in line with constitutional and legal provisions, and as soon as possible,
- High Judicial Council and High Prosecutor Council immediately redistribute human resources within the judicial system of the Court of Appeal and the Courts of First Instance, and proceed with filling in the vacancies.
- High Judicial Council must propose measures that allow for a due process within the one-month time limit in the Administrative Court of Appeals
- The Parliament must examine in a fair process candidates proposed by the President for chairman of the State Supreme Audit Institution.
