Zaganjori: President above parties

Zaganjori: Thank you for this interview, which in fact is a little difficult for me, as member of the Constitutional Court. I met the opposition leader on my initiative, for creating an understanding and for having a closer acquaintance. We have known each other from distance for more than 20 years. Today we had a conversation that I highly value, it was a very friendly conversation. I spoke about the reasons that pushed me to accept the candidacy, and that it wasn’t an easy decision to take, because I had to discuss it eve with my family. But for some reasons that I have given in another case, I hesitated, because it is a very high post and brings a great responsibility. The meeting that I had with Shpetim Idrizi, the only one that I had not met as a party leader and as part of the governing coalition, was a general discussion. We had a coffee at Prince Park and that’s all. I think that the best, in normal conditions, is that the role of the President should be on the hands of an experienced politician. However, I have already accepted it and I will make everything possible for being a spokesperson of the citizens’ interests. Certainly, within the possibilities for positively affecting the institutional and political life of the country. There are many actors, but I don’t have a formula or a magic wand for this. If it will not be realized, I will keep doing what I have done for my entire life, with the matters of justice.

Zaganjori hopes that his name will be presented for voting in the second round.

Zaganjori: I believe that I will be the candidate to be voted, but it is not up to me. One coalition has given me its trust. The proposition has not been made formal for some reasons, because we are looking for consensus and based on this consensus, I met the opposition leader. Certainly I didn’t ask him to vote me, because this is a political issue that I will make in accordance with the political interests, the rights that the biggest opposition party has to be included in a trial that will be judged by their leader and their leadership, with the people they have around, and this is not my problem. I simply introduced myself to him and I guaranteed that if I will become President, I will always be the one that I have always been, a man that respects the law and the Constitution, and for doing what I judge as best in concrete situations.

The Presidential candidate of the majority answers to the accusations that he has infringed the Constitution by staying as Constitutional Court member after his mandate had expired.

Zaganjori: They say that I have infringed the Constitution by staying on duty, and I say that if I would have left my duty, I would have infringed the Constitution, because article 125.5 clearly states that the Constitutional Court stays on duty until he is replaced, and I would have infringed it if I left my duty. If I resign when the President cannot agree with the Parliament, then the Constitutional Court decision making will be blocked. There are no more decision-making, no more function of the Constitutional Court. For this reason, the answer is simple, but this process is delaying. I sincerely say that I would want this to get realized, to be replaced and continue my academic life or any other thing.

Zaganjori has been accused by the opposition of rejecting 11 appeals from 13 that have been presented by the Constitution.

Zaganjori: There have been several claims, which I have heard and seemed really absurd. I can’t tell now in how many verdicts I have agreed or I have been against, but I can surely say that every decision has been based on my conviction as Constitutional Court, and that’s it.

As leading judge for the maritime border with Greece, Zaganjori answers to the accusations made against him:

Zaganjori: This claim is absurd, as the accusations launched about this. It is something else the fact that we were divided 5 to 4 for legalizing the request, because there is no country in the world that legitimizes a political party to come and oppose an international agreement, because there are subjects that are competent for this, such as the President, the MPs, the Chairman of the Supreme State Audit, the Prime Minister… There are a series of subjects, and we were divided 5 to 4 for legitimizing these arguments, by rejecting the request of five other political subjects. We accepted only the Socialists, but for me, this argument is exaggerated, the fact that the Socialist Court should be legitimized, since the biggest oposition party has the minimal number of MPs needed for making the request at the Constitutional Court. I remember thanking my colleagues, when we were divided 5 to 4, because I was the realtor and the international laws are my passion, especially the maritime international law. The process belonged to the entire judge body. But it is written in the verdict, that this measure overcomes the applicant’s claims, the SP. It was written by me and approved by the judge panel. It is a pleasure for me to say that I had the conviction and still have it, that it was an agreement not well negotiated, it had problems. Therefore, I am proud for the work that I have done in this case.

He considers as absurd the claims that he was an adviser of the Foreign Ministry for the maritime border agreement with Greece.

Zaganjori: This is a very absurd claim. It is true that a newspaper accused me of this a few days before, and I have told the judge panel that there is a real dispute that should be reviewed. I have never contacted with any subject about this agreement, especially the Foreign Ministry. However, I was ready to leave it to another person. The judge panel took an unanimous decision and the colleagues said that since I was an expert of that field, I should take the case, and I accepted with a great pleasure. This claim is very absurd, because it would mean infringing some basic principles that I ask from the most elementary students.

Which is the truth about the personal relation between Zaganjori, Prime Minister Berisha and the Parliament Speaker, since he was the professor that led the jury when the Parliament Speaker gave her PhD test?

Zaganjori: I have no personal relation with Mr. Berisha. He is the Prime minister and I respect this duty, and also for being a former President. Due to my duty, certainly that we have had contact, but I haven’t met Berisha for the last 6 or 7 years. I might have shaken his hand in any reception and that’s all. As a university professor, I have had students that came from the left and right parties. I was appointed by the Public Law Department to lead. I wasn’t asked by Mrs. Topalli to lead, but I was appointed. I led it for two years and I remember that I had two objections for the test. I was not the one to evaluate the test, but a very honored commission, with prof. Aleks Luarasi as president, prof. Aurela Anastasi and prof. Marjana Asemimi. The evaluation was maximal because it was a very good work. I have led the tests with other MPs even from the Socialist Party. I could have been the leading professor for Sajmir Tahiri, who had his PhD test with me.

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