{"id":80721,"date":"2025-10-09T17:33:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=80721"},"modified":"2025-10-09T19:19:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T17:19:13","slug":"constitutional-court-suspends-tirana-elections-pending-veliajs-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/constitutional-court-suspends-tirana-elections-pending-veliajs-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"Constitutional Court Suspends Tirana Elections Pending Veliaj\u2019s Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Constitutional Court of Albania has published its decision regarding the request submitted by Erion Veliaj, seeking the annulment of the Council of Ministers\u2019 decision to dismiss him from his post as Mayor of Tirana, as well as the annulment of the President of the Republic\u2019s decree setting the date for partial local elections in the capital.<\/p>\n

In the decision made public on Thursday, the Constitutional Court ruled to suspend the President\u2019s decree in the part that concerns the Municipality of Tirana, specifically regarding the setting of the election date for this local government unit.<\/p>\n

The ruling was issued based on Article 115, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Constitution, Article 45 of Law No. 8577, dated February 10, 2000, \u201cOn the organization and functioning of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania,\u201d<\/em> as amended, and Article 27 of the Court\u2019s Rules of Judicial Procedure.<\/p>\n

The suspension will remain in force until the Constitutional Court issues a final decision on the constitutionality of the contested acts.<\/p>\n

President Begaj Respects the Court\u2019s Decision<\/p>\n

Through his press office, President Bajram Begaj reacted to the suspension of elections in Tirana following Veliaj\u2019s dismissal, stating that the President respects the decision of the Constitutional Court.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Euronews Albania reports that Socialist Party (SP) structures in Tirana have been instructed to continue their work as usual, emphasizing that there has been no annulment of the elections, only a temporary suspension of the presidential decree, with the final decision expected on October 31.<\/p>\n

Opposition-Backed Candidate Reacts<\/p>\n

Florjan Binaj, the independent candidate supported by the opposition, reacted on Thursday to the Constitutional Court\u2019s decision to suspend Veliaj\u2019s dismissal.
\nBinaj stated that whenever the date for the elections in Tirana is set, he and his team will participate, emphasizing that their participation will be guided by a vision for change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe upcoming elections in Tirana are only the first step in a long road we are beginning. Whenever the vote is scheduled, we will participate with our vision and will for change. The most important party is the party of the citizens,\u201d Binaj declared.<\/p>\n

Berisha Welcomes the Ruling<\/p>\n

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, held a press conference reacting to the Constitutional Court\u2019s decision to suspend the partial elections in Tirana.
\nBerisha called the ruling an important act in defense of the Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday the Constitutional Court made a decision that I salute as an act of great importance in defending the Constitution and the constitutional order. I congratulate the unanimous decision of the judges who protected the Constitution from its enemies \u2014 from the crooks of the state. I had warned that they would act in this way, bypassing the Constitutional Court under the banal pretext that the Council of Ministers acts merely as a notary of the Municipal Council,\u201d Berisha stated.<\/p>\n

Bledar Dervishaj, a guest on Euronews Albania<\/em> with moderator Thimi Samarxhiu, also commented on Thursday\u2019s decision by the Constitutional Court to suspend the elections in Tirana following Veliaj\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n

Dervishaj emphasized that the ruling takes effect immediately upon publication, adding that it is unlikely that the elections will be held in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision of the Constitutional Court enters into force on the date of its publication. It\u2019s unlikely that will happen in November. This shows the impact of justice when it acts on time. Normally, the complainant himself is a party to the process. If he wishes, he should attend. Mr. Veliaj should be there, to do what he didn\u2019t do before the Municipal Council. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that \u2014 though I see the problem as deeper, perhaps in the legal paragraph under which he was dismissed,\u201d Dervishaj said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Constitutional Court of Albania has published its decision regarding the request submitted by Erion Veliaj, seeking the annulment of the Council of Ministers\u2019 decision to dismiss him from his post as Mayor of Tirana, as well as the annulment of the President of the Republic\u2019s decree setting the date for partial local elections in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":80722,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[150,243,151],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConstitutional Court Suspends Tirana Elections Pending Veliaj\u2019s Appeal - Euronews Albania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/constitutional-court-suspends-tirana-elections-pending-veliajs-appeal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Constitutional Court Suspends Tirana Elections Pending Veliaj\u2019s Appeal - 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