Arta Marku has been elected Temporary Proseuctor General by 69 of the 76 deputies present in Parliament. The opposition boycotted the vote.
Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Socialist Party had proposed Shkodra Prosecutor Arta Marku as Temporary General Prosecutor. At least 28 deputies are necessary to propose a candidate, which will then be voted in Parliament.
Marku started her career as prosecutor under Ulsi Manja, who at that time led the Shkodra Prosecution. Currently, Manja is the chairman of the Legal Affairs Commission.
Two other names which have passed the selection procedure of Legal Affairs Commission, which has claimed to have taken over the role of the High Prosecutorial Council, are Ermira Tafani and Ferdinand Elezi. According to the Law concerning the Organization and Functioning of the Prosecution, on which the OPDAT and EURALIUS missions have advised the government to rely, the Temporary General Prosecutor will have to be “one of the prosecutors with the most experience.”
The opposition has accused the Rama government of acting unconstitutionally. In his speech in Parliament, opposition Lulzim Basha accused Prime Minister Rama of preparing a “coup”:
You have decided to violate the Constitution to protect your wealth. This is the last moment that I ask you in the name of the Constitution to withdraw. This is the command of the people. Obey it or face the consequences.
For a brief period, opposition deputies blocked the pulpit, but were removed by the guards. During the vote, smoke bombs were thrown by PD deputy Ervin Salianji.
Speaker of Parliament Gramoz Ruçi immediately called Marku to swear the oath, after which he closed the session.
