After failing two times to have a list of candidates for the Albanian European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and missing a third deadline in August 2017, the government has published a new list of candidates for the position at the highest court in Europe.
What is remarkable about the list of names is that all except one did not feature on previous shortlists. Former Constitutional Court judge Sokol Berberi has been on the shortlist the first two times, and is presumed to be the government favorite for the job. The election procedure in PACE, however, requires three qualifying candidates.
All 17 candidates will have to pass the vetting if they are current members of the judiciary or a vetting-like procedure if they are not. The following 17 candidates were selected:
- Altina Xhoxhaj
- Arben Braçe
- Asllan Karaj
- Darian Pavli
- Darjel Sina
- Elira Kokona
- Genci Bilali
- Jonela Kita
- Marjana Semini
- Oriona Muçollari
- Përparim Kalo
- Rezarta Tahiraj
- Sinan Tafaj
- Sokol Berberi
- Sokol Hasani
- Sonila Bejtja
- Suzana Frashëri
