The new President of Albania elected socialist Ilir Meta
BELGRADE, April 29 — RIA Novosti. The speaker of the Albanian Parliament, head of the Socialist movement for integration Ilir Meta was elected on Friday, the seventh President of the country, reports the Albanian news Agency ATA.
The President of Albania is elected by Parliament for a term of five years and performs mainly ceremonial functions. The President was elected in the fourth round of voting with 87 votes in favor and two votes against (out of 140). Meta candidacy was uncontested.
The system of elections of the President of Albania suggests that in the first three rounds of voting the candidate for election will have to take three fifths of the deputies (84 of 140). In the fourth and fifth rounds of voting the President is elected by a simple majority of votes. Only the Albanian Constitution gives MPs to select the head of state five attempts. If they do not succeed, the Parliament is dissolved and new elections.
The candidacy of the new President was nominated by the ruling Socialist party of Albania Prime Minister EDI Rama — Socialist movement for integration Ilir Meta is the Junior partner in the ruling coalition.
Meta is a Pro-European stance, and the Prime Minister EDI Rama described it as “the perfect solution” as a person “having access everywhere, talking with everyone and openly Express their position,”
The newly elected President was born in the region of Skrapar southern Albania on March 24, 1969. Graduated from the Department of political economy Department of Economics Tirana University. At 23 he became a member of Parliament from the Socialist party.
Performed the functions of head of government from 1999 to 2002, Minister of foreign Affairs in 2002-2003 and in 2009-2010. The speaker of Parliament since 2013. Fluent in Albanian, English and Italian. He is married, has two daughters and a son.
Allegations of corruption
Ilir Meta has a rich political biography and is one of the most famous politicians of his country, who managed to work together with irreconcilable political opponents — the former Prime Minister of the country Sali Berisha and the current head of government, EDI Rama.
A few years ago, Meta was charged with corruption but was acquitted by a local justice. The scandal involving Meta erupted in January 2011. At that time, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of economy.
Broadcast local private TV channel was shown the video footage taken with a hidden camera in 2010, where Ilir Meta, who was at the time of the shooting the post of foreign Minister allegedly urged the then Minister of economy and energy Dritan Prifti to give the victory in the public tender for construction of HPPs one particular company. According to the participants of the conversation, the firm promised the Ministers of the rollback in the amount of 700 thousand euros, which was 10% of the total value of the work.
After the publication of the video Ilir Meta said that the charges are trumped up by political opponents. Then he voluntarily relinquished Ministerial immunity and resigned from all posts in the government.
The story of the allegations of corruption served as a catalyst for thousands of anti-government protests in Albania in late January 2011. During one of them, January 21, with the participation of 20 thousand people three were killed, about 100 injured. Murder accused the police exceeded their powers and opened fire on the demonstrators.
The protests organized by the opposition, headed by current Prime Minister EDI Rama, who then began to actively seek early parliamentary elections because of allegations of a high-ranking member of the government of Ilir Meta of corruption.
The Prosecutor demanded for the defendant to two years in prison and a monetary fine of about 10 thousand dollars. In January 2012, the Supreme court of Albania withdrew charges of corruption with Mehta in connection with the impossibility to prove guilt.