The Constitutional Court has overturned a decree of the Council of Ministers transferring the ownership of the theater from the Ministry of Culture to the Municipality of Tirana. The ruling also revokes a law giving the green light to building the new theater.<\/p>\r\n
As a result, the ownership of the land where the theater was before its demolishment, will return to the to the Ministry of Culture, put in other words, the Municipality of Tirana has no longer the right to build the new theater through a public-private partnership.<\/p>\r\n
On the other hand, the Constitutional Court upheld the decision of the municipal council \u201cOn approving the demolition of the National Theater\u201d, owned by the Municipality of Tirana, based on an Act-Expertise compiled by the Institute of Construction on the \u201cAssessment of the National Theater building\u201d.<\/p>\r\n
Furthermore, the court has also nullified the decision of the National Council of the Territory dated June 29, which allowed the municipality to build the new National Theater designed by world-renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.<\/p>\r\n
The National Theater was demolished last year in May, despite several year-long resistances from the theater crew who were against the demolition and arguing that the building in fact is part of the city\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n
A wide public spat on the National Theater began by the end of 2017 when the Albanian government unveiled a plan to build the venue from scratch through a Public-Private Partnership. The design also featured several towers near the theater, something that was widely contested by actors as well as citizens.<\/p>\r\n
After backing away from the plan, the government decided to transfer the property of the theater to the Municipality of Tirana, paving the way to building the new venue with the budget of the municipality. But this decision was also rejected by the Alliance for the Protection of the National Theater, demanding to preserve the old building and continue with the project in another part of the city.<\/p>\r\n
\u2018The Constitutional Court has spoken, now it is SPAK\u2019s turn\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n The leader of the Democratic Party, Lulzim, took it to Twitter to comment on the Constitutional Court\u2019s ruling and urging the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime to act swiftly.<\/p>\r\n \u201cThe Constitutional Court has spoken, now it is SPAK\u2019s turn\u201d, wrote DP\u2019s leader on Twitter. Basha has been a wide supporter of the idea to rebuild the National Theater at the old venue and preserving its old structure.<\/p>\r\n Gjykata Kushtetuese foli, radh\u00ebn e ka SPAK!#atykuishteashtusi\u00e7ishte<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DoMIvtvjnW<\/a><\/p>— Lulzim Basha (@lulzimbasha_al) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>