Sixteen days before the public plenary session at the Constitutional Court regarding the “Veliaj” case, the Presidency has submitted its arguments.
It calls on the Constitutional Court’s judicial panel to lift the suspension of the presidential decree and allow the holding of mayoral elections in Tirana. In its submission, the Presidency also requests that the Court determine the date for the early local elections in the capital.

“Since the suspension has prevented the holding of elections for the Municipality of Tirana on the date decreed by the President of the Republic, the Court should, at the conclusion of the session, instruct the Central Election Commission (CEC) to prepare the elections for this municipality on a date to be determined by the Constitutional Court — a date which should not be earlier than 30 days from the entry into force of the Court’s decision,”
the submission reads.

Likewise, the Presidency requests that the Constitutional Court dismiss the appeal filed by Tirana’s still-acting mayor, Erion Veliaj, who argued that setting the election date for Tirana violates Article 115 of the Constitution.

“At the conclusion of the session, the Court should decide to reject the request of the dismissed Mayor of Tirana, Mr. Erion Veliaj, as unfounded under Article 115 of the Constitution,”
the Presidency stated.

Not only the Presidency but also the Council of Ministers is expected to submit its own arguments to the Constitutional Court regarding the decision to dismiss Erion Veliaj from his post as Mayor of Tirana.
The government’s decision has been appealed in court on the grounds of alleged constitutional violations.
The review of both appeals by the Constitutional Court is scheduled to begin at the end of October, where Erion Veliaj’s physical presence in the courtroom has also been hinted as a possibility.