The issues that "tensioned" the Parliament/ From McGonigal to the immunity of Ahmetaj and Berisha

2024-01-02 09:30:00, Politikë CNA

The issues that "tensioned" the Parliament/ From McGonigal to the

The year 2023 for the Assembly of Albania was a year full of insurmountable challenges. The divisions of the opposition transferred the internal debate to the hall of plenary sessions, which favored the majority.

On the other hand, important bills continued to drag under the shield of proceedings. The Electoral Reform, the People's Advocate, the Criminal Amnesty, the Fiscal Amnesty, the Gambling Law did not find their way, but continue to sleep in the drawers of the Assembly, although the political parties brought them as their causes at the beginning of the session.

The McGonigal Affair

On Monday, January 16, 2023, when the 2023 political session began, the file of the former FBI official, Charles McGonigal, has "stirred the waters" in Albanian politics and turned into a "bone of contention" in the Assembly between the opposition and the majority. The opposition firmly demanded that the agenda be changed in parliament and that the meeting between Prime Minister Edi Rama and the former FBI official, McGonigal, be discussed. At that time, the request was dismissed with the claim that it bore the signature of Sali Berisha, for whom the majority had pledged not to accept any document bearing the signature of the former prime minister.

The request for the establishment of the Investigative Commission for the "McGonigal" case/ Allegations of SP: The signatures were forged
February 14, 16:52

The debates and chaos created in the Assembly led to the closing of the session and the expulsion of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. On the other hand, Alibeaj's group announced that it will demand the dismissal of Lindita Nikolla.

The request of the opposition MPs for a motion with a debate with the head of the government after the procedural ordeal was realized in the session of March 2, where Prime Minister Edi Rama gave a long speech, while calling the motion with a debate on the "McGonigal" case the most absurd in history of the Albanian Assembly.

The Assembly paves the way for the arrest of Ahmetaj and Berisha

During 2023, the Assembly of Albania faced two requests from SPAK to remove the immunity of MPs Arben Ahmetaj and Sali Berisha.

In the parliamentary session of July 14, with 117 votes in favor, none against and three abstentions, the Assembly paved the way for the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj and the control of his apartment. Rarely, in the special plenary session, SP and DP joined the votes to give the green light to SPAK to ask the GJKKO to handcuff the former deputy prime minister and check his apartment. The whole government joined the green cards. While there was no vote against, 3 members of the opposition, Fatmir Mediu, Vangjel Dule and Agron Duka, abstained.

The Assembly approves the request/ Votes in favor of removing the immunity of Arben Ahmetaj
July 14, 11:07

Prime Minister Edi Rama also joined the session for granting authorization to SPAK for the arrest of the former number 2 of his government. When the opposition held the floor, he chose to leave, to join the session only to vote in favor along with 9 ministers of his government cabinet.

While on the last Thursday of December, the Parliament approved the request of the Special Anticorruption Structure (SPAK) to obtain authorization for house arrest or prison for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. MPs supporting Berisha threw flares into the hall where the voting took place and blocked the pulpit with chairs.

However, this did not prevent the majority from voting to remove the immunity of the oldest deputy from the ranks of the opposition. In this session, the opposition MPs who support Lulzim Basha, the leader of the DP vula, did not participate.

The majority removes Sali Berisha's immunity
December 21, 10:09

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Berisha refused to take the floor before the vote on the removal of his parliamentary immunity. He joined the announced protest of his supporters outside Parliament where he delivered his speech as he called Parliament's decision "unconstitutional."

Election year

The year 2023 was an election year, where many deputies gave up their mandate to compete in the May 14 local government elections. On March 27, 5 deputies, 3 from the Democratic Party and 2 from the Socialist Party, gave up their mandate as deputies due to their candidacy in the May 14 local elections. It is about Luciano Boçi, Belind Këlliçi and Zef Hila from the DP, while Benet Beci and Besjan Ajazi from the ranks of the socialists./ CNA