For over three months, three municipalities in Albania—Berat, Tepelenë, and Mat—have not been led by their directly elected socialist mayors but by their deputies.
Following the resignations of Ervin Demo, Tërmet Peçi, and Agron Malaj to run for parliament under the Socialist Party banner, partial local elections should have been held in these three municipalities.
According to Article 61 of the Law on Local Government, once a resignation is submitted to the municipal council, the decision is forwarded to the prefect, who informs the Council of Ministers. The Council then notifies the President, who sets the date for the partial elections.
The resignations of the three mayors were filed on May 11, one day before the Socialist Party formalized its list of parliamentary candidates. However, the constitutional deadlines for organizing new elections have already been violated.
Article 10 of the Electoral Code stipulates that elections must take place no sooner than 30 days and no later than 45 days from the date of notification of the mandate’s termination. More than three months have now passed since that point.
Euronews Albania reached out to inquire whether the Council of Ministers had been officially informed of the vacancies by the prefects of Berat, Tepelenë, and Dibër, but by the time of this report, no response had been received.
In addition to Berat, Tepelenë, and Mat, it remains unclear whether Tirana will also head to early elections, following the case of acting Mayor Erion Veliaj, who has been in prison for over three months.
The situation in Tirana is more complex. Article 62 of the Local Government Law stipulates that if a mayor fails to appear in office for three consecutive months, the municipal council must propose their dismissal. This time frame has already been exceeded, as Erion Veliaj has been in pre-trial detention since February 10. So far, the Municipal Council has taken no action.
Delays in meeting constitutional deadlines for holding partial local elections are a recurring issue in Albanian politics. This time, the big question is whether the elections will be held before or after the formation of the new government in September.
In the May 11 elections, the Socialist Party won in all four municipalities expected to hold partial elections.
