Lawyer Ylli Manjani has reacted with strong criticism after President Bajram Begaj's decree, which selected November 9 as the date for elections in 6 municipalities, including the one for Tirana, even though the case for the latter is in the Constitutional Court.
Manjani says ironically that if Ilir Meta had issued this decree when he was president, a commission would have been directly established to dismiss him.
"Maybe, not a second spent explaining the country's Constitution is worth it anymore. In fact, we have over-explained its Article 115 on every public occasion.
The Constitutional Court itself, in a public statement yesterday, said that "...the government's decision is automatically suspended."
But if today's decree had been issued by Ilir Meta, an investigative commission would have been set up directly and impeachment proceedings would have been initiated. I believe you remember Ulsi's investigation at the head of the commission against Meta.
I want to say one thing clearly:
I fully understand the political need of a Prime Minister or a governing party to hold snap elections.
It is undoubtedly within their political right to seek and find a solution. Just as Basha's DP was within its right to request a postponement of the 2019 local elections. I myself am in favor of the elections.
But I don't understand at all, neither Meta yesterday, when he issued a decree to cancel the elections, nor Begaj today who decrees elections without a vacant seat.
Both have violated the written constitution!
"The President of the Republic is the state, not the government ," Manjani writes on social media.