The process of selecting the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination has found its natural place: in institutional silence, in procedural delays and in that familiar gray area where the majority and the opposition agree without speaking to each other. The parliamentary committee headed by Jorida Tabaku continues to keep the process open, without any new date for the hearings, without any explanation and, above all, without any claims from any of the actors.
The first call failed without much fanfare. Among the many candidates, over ten according to official figures, was Sonila Bejtja, current member of the Constitutional Court, universally considered a favorite figure of Sali Berisha: the public praises that the latter has poured out are documented, as are her connections with the family television.
Although she ran, she withdrew from the race with the explanation that she would wait for her replacement on the Constitutional Court. She ran, but changed her mind. Apparently, they changed her mind.
And that very moment was not coincidental. It was then that the Constitutional Court had submitted for judgment the request of Prime Minister Rama to suspend the decision of SPAK and GJKKO in the Balluku case. The decision was suspended as the Prime Minister requested. Ms. Bejtja was among those who voted in favor. Predestined to resign from office, predestined to vote with the government — an unfortunate coincidence, perhaps. But a coincidence that requires explanation.
The remaining candidacies in the race were abandoned by all political forces. No party provided supporting signatures for them to pass to a vote in the plenary session. Tabaku and Peleshi took a three-month break.
The second call for candidates for Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination closed on March 25. Eight names in the race (but not Sonila Bejtja; she still needs to go to the Constitutional Court).
Only one candidate appeared at the only hearing session, on April 8. For the others, the Tabaku commission has spent a month without calling them to a hearing session and without going through the phase of support with signatures and moving on to a vote.
Why this delay? Could it be to reignite the race and give Sonila Bejte time to be released from her mandate on the Constitutional Court? (The Constitutional Court has not yet closed the procedure for her successor.)
Government positions don't go unfilled through negligence; they go unfilled when the word is out before the competition even starts. It's the only logical explanation for the lack of interest.
As of April 30, the commission has not set a new date for the continuation of the hearings, although it has been stated that other candidates are expected. This unjustifiable delay is worth highlighting for another reason: it is precisely the DP deputies in that commission — the same ones who complained loudly about the position of the Ombudsman being “held hostage by the government” — who are completely silent today. Niko Peleshi can make visits abroad without an escort and the DP raises its voice about this violation. A high-ranking state position remains vacant with unexplained procedures and the DP is silent. This is not oblivion. This is an election.
Meanwhile, the KED has started the processes of replacing Ms. Bejtja. Her mandate is ending. Her departure from the Constitutional Court will not be delayed. And, a new coincidence, the process of appointing the Commissioner is being held in suspense, ready, reserved. It is enough to wait for the right moment: as soon as Ms. Bejtja leaves the Constitutional Court, the path to the commission is free, the candidacy is clear and the process has been successfully closed.
The operation has its precedent. Holta Zaçe, president of the Constitutional Court, served faithfully, took the right positions — both pro-Rama and pro-Berisha in the constitutional courts — and was rewarded with the post of deputy governor of the Bank of Albania. Not a single voice from Berisha’s opposition. No protest. If Ms. Bejtja has taken the same positions, and her vote of November 15 confirms it, she is no less valuable than Ms. Zaçe. She too demands the reward of her service.
Speculation? Maybe. But the Rama-Berisha choir has a very familiar melody, and the Tabaku e Bardhi commission knows how to listen to it well, and even intonate it when necessary.
