The Electoral College closed the issue of the mandate of the "Albania Becomes Movement" today, cutting off Adriatik Lapaj from any opportunity to use it as he pleases. The decision was delayed two weeks beyond the legal deadline, which raised doubts that a way to overturn the KAS decision was expected. But these were dispelled after it became public that Lapaj had changed his request: he no longer wanted the mandate for himself, but for it to go to his cousin, Kleana Xhuveli, as Celibashi had decided.
This unexpected return of Lapaj just a day before the decision showed either that he understood the legal blunder, or that the efforts to influence the College had failed. The court fully confirmed the decision of the KAS, passing the mandate to Ana Dajko, as the first on the list. So, for the public it no longer matters who gets the mandate within the list, but the fact that there are two parallel practices in force: one legal (of the KAS and the College) that prohibits the CEC from changing the lists, and the other illegal, used by Celibashi to administer resignations outside his competences.
This precedent is not only related to the case of Lapaj, but also to other mandates, such as that of the PSD or the case of Zegjine Çaushi in the SP. The deputies produced by illegal decisions must be returned, otherwise the rule of law turns into a farce. Celibashi not only has the obligation, but also the legal means to correct these decisions, and this must be done before the Assembly begins its work in September. The deputies who have left the list must appear at the first session and declare themselves whether they will keep their mandate or make way for the next candidate.
