The Socialist Party will propose the only candidate for the new President of the Republic of Albania. The head of the SP parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, told the "Opinion" show that the negotiation process with the opposition failed because the minority did not officially submit a name.
"We have negotiated with the entire opposition represented in the Albanian Parliament, with the three parliamentary opposition groups. We had a moment when we had an agreement that in the second and third the opposition won the exclusive right to propose the name. In case the opposition would have exercised the responsibility to bring a candidate of theirs with 20 supporting firms, we would consider it and what we will do tomorrow in the SP Presidency we would do in the case of the candidacy coming from them. The debate has been that the opposition has the right to propose. This is not a negotiation. Negotiation is called when the parties have the right to negotiate. They could propose a name with 20 signatures. "As the chairman of the SP group or in the Albanian Parliament, I do not know that a list of names has been officially submitted."
Balla stressed that the SP has held several meetings for the name of the new President, while he said that the pink headquarters already has a short list of names that on Friday will be voted one of them and on Saturday will be voted in the meeting of the SP group, when and this candidacy will be made public.
"We have made a process where for more than 2 months we have made a consultation process within ourselves. There have been discussions within the SP in a smaller circle. We have twice discussed this issue in the Presidency of the Socialist Party. A proposal with names has been made in the Presidency of the Socialist Party and a short list has emerged from that process and tomorrow is the final day. There are several names. "This is a very serious matter."
Balla reiterated that the candidacy will be the opposite of the current President Ilir Meta. He expressed his conviction that for the figure that the Socialists will propose, even the opposition will have reasons to vote for him.