President Ilir Meta has spoken for the first time after the US State Department declared former Albanian premier and president Sali Berisha “persona non-grata”.

According to President Meta the decision was taken in order to impede the investigations into electoral fraud.

“The decision did not coincidentally come at this moment, when the electoral process has not officially ended and when institutions, according to Electoral Code, must elaborate on the countless manipulation complaints and electoral fraud denounced broadly, which have gravely undermined Western standards of a free, fair and democratic electoral process”, wrote the president on Facebook.

Appealing to state institutions to abide to the law and the Electoral Code, Meta also extended a message of solidarity to Berisha and his family describing the decision as “ugly and treacherous”.

“Those who designated Dvorani as the hero of the justice reform would do any sort of other madness that wouldn’t surprise us anymore with their impudence for the rule of law and independence of the judiciary”, concluded Meta.