The Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, declared in an interview for Top
Channel that there is no stalemate for the justice reform, and that the
majority has not changed his stance.
The government leader said that politics should discuss and seek consensus on a draft only after the Venice Commission has said its last word. He underlined there is no crisis with the SMI and Ilir Meta.
Prime Minister Rama gave this interview to Top Channel’s reporter, Muhamed Veliu:
TCH: Mr.Prime Minister, high-level experts have finalized their work and now it is up to politics to see the suggestions. Why the Parliamentary Commission for the Justice Reform has not started reviewing the draft?
Edi Rama: The procedure requires the commission to meet tomorrow, and we will send to Venice the draft with our reflections on the Venice Commission opinion, for the final report. After the final report is received, the parliamentary commission will sit to discuss and pass the constitutional amendments, based on the final report.
TCH: You met with your ally for two days. What are the matters that divide or unite you for the justice reform?
Edi Rama: This is a historic reform, basic in the state-building process and vital in the efforts to transform the justice system. As such, it would be abnormal to go without debates and different opinions. But I want to underline that we are in full coherence with the process and with the need to respect the agenda we agreed with the Venice Commission, and also with the obligation to allow the Parliament to pass a reform that is so much needed and that will certainly open a new era in the justice system. I want to underline that the process will continue as predicted and certainly the parties should take advantage of this possibility. Besides the draft reviewed by the experts, they should request from the Venice Commission complementary explanations regarding the way how the opinion’s recommendations are interpreted, recommendations on which the reflections of this draft were based.
TCH: You say you are in accordance with Meta, but Meta said yesterday that the Democratic Party should absolutely be involved in the reform. Do you agree with them on this?
Edi Rama: We absolutely share the same opinion on this, but I stand to the conviction that we cannot seek consensus with the opposition through harsh political debates, but only based on the final report of the Venice Commission. The consensus is guaranteed by the view of the Venice Commission, based on the fact that all parties consider it as a trusted and solid reference point. As long as we have this consideration, the Venice Commission will help us with the final report to find a new way for finding an agreement, which are result of a different reading. Practically, we have the concrete case of a different reading for the qualified majority and other more technical aspects. The final report will then be seen as the base that will make way for dialogue, after the final draft will be discussed at the Parliamentary commission, which will pass it to the Parliament.
TCH: You say it is a political harsh debate, but are you ready to resolve it as it was proposed by the President, with you sitting together with Ilir Meta and the opposition leader and finding an agreement?
Edi Rama: There is no need or even any chance for us to sit and find a solution without the Venice Commission. For this reason we must consume the possibilities of the Venice Commission, fulfill the relations with Venice based on the agenda we agreed on, and on that base we can discuss further disagreements, if there will be any more.
TCH: However, Mr.Prime Minister, the opposition experts said yesterday the draft of the Ministry of Justice has something to work on. Are you ready to discuss this draft?
Edi Rama: There is no draft of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is part of the government, which has kept its distance from this process since the beginning, starting from me. The government was left to the Parliament and the Parliament trusted it to the Parliamentary commission. The Ministry of Justice is one of the parties, and as many other parties, has proposed experts to represent them. These representatives don’t work for the Ministry of Justice, for the government and do not represent the political stance of our party. If these experts have discussed that there is something to work on, this something to work on is what has been worked on for more than one year. It should be brought to the table of the Venice Commission for the consideration of the Parliament. Each of the political parties has not only the right, but also the obligation to attach possible questions or suggestions to be taken in consideration by the Parliament. I want to underlined that the Venice Commission and the group of experts has taken something to work on from the opinion of the other parties, the DP and the SMI, and has attached it to what we have worked on for this one year and ahalf. These reflections are reasonable, acceptable and even welcome.
TCH: Yesterday you met with Ambassadors Lu and Vlahutin. What did they ask you to do?
Edi Rama: They didn’t ask me to do anything and I didn’t ask them anything. We spoke about the progress of this process, and since the first day I have been in full coherence with what we have agreed with the strategic partners of Albania, the USA and EU, who are represented by Ambassadors Lu and Vlahutin.
TCH: Is referendum a solution in case there is no agreement for the justice reform?
Edi Rama: For the referendum we need votes from 2/3rd of the Parliament. I am ready to go to a referendum if the parties judge that the people should be asked about this process. If the parties that represent this people are unable to agree with each other in Parliament, then it would be the most transparent way for all parties, so that everyone feels better when the Constitutional amendments are done.
TCH: So, the justice reform is not facing a stalemate?
Edi Rama: Absolutely not. If we refer to the process, the media or propaganda from various political sources, the justice reform should have died. But we stand to the opinion that we are having a big problem in this country, and that is that very often the media makes up an issue that is untrue, comments on it, takes them as true and asks us to answer for it.
TCH: Why was canceled the dinner of the majority MPs? There are many conspiracy ideas on it.
Edi Rama: The dinner was to be held before the New Year’s Eve. It was impossible to hold it, because of our agendas. We decided to hold it after the New Year’s Eve but then we had floods and it was not reasonable to challenge the public opinion with the wrong perception that the government sits to celebrate and eat while there are others severe problems going on.
TCH: Thank you for your time.
Edi Rama: Thank you.
Top Channel
