TIRANA, April 30 – The Democratic Party’s smaller allied parties announced on Monday they demand a total change of the constitution and almost all the country’s governing institutions.
The DP’s allies platform that maps out a way to reach a constitutional agreement which seeks a change in the Constitution and in parliament voting demands the formation of a caretaker government to be formed six months before elections for a total of 15 years, defining its form, representational criteria and duties by law.
The platform also requires a change in the electoral reform, arguing the present one has been deformed by Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama, a review of the administrative reform and an eventual reform of the electoral system with open lists.
Further on, the opposition’s allies demand that the president be elected by the people and not the political party, for the prime minister and the deputies to have limited mandates and for the president, PM and MPs to undergo a drug test.
While also pointing out that they are unlikely to participate in the elections, without being guaranteed the elections will be free and genuine, they called on President Ilir Meta to sit the opposition and the majority on the same table for dialogue.
“We will not participate in the elections, the deadline is closed, the deal is done, we have signed an agreement with the DP that we will not enter the elections and that we do not want Rama as a prime minister. The mandates are burnt, the elections are burnt, we don’t want Rama as a prime minister. This is not a parliamentary issue, it is a constitutional agreement,” head of the Movement for National Development Dashamir Shehi said.
This table, according to the five opposition parties, should assess the OSCE/ODIHR requirements to avoid ballot buying, voter intimidation and the use of state administration, control over the territory and proceeding of criminal groups, which have been evidenced in ballot selling.
The platform also includes setting a date for local and parliamentary elections, through a caretaker government coming from political agreement.
Likewise, DP leader Lulzim Basha’s allies called on Meta’s joint table to assess the penal proceeding on the side of the prosecution of the files made public by the media regarding the manipulation of last parliamentary elections.
Raising concern for the failure of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, the allies seek the establishment of a two-chamber parliamentary system, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
According to the platform, the Senate should take part of the functions of the High Court, while the rest of the functions of this court should be taken by the Supreme Court.
The five center-right parties included the Republican Party, the Agrarian Environmental Party, the Union for Human Rights Party, the Christian Democratic Party and the Movement for National Development Party.
