The Presidency has clarified Bajram Begaj's decree for the partial elections in 6 municipalities in the country, including Tirana, to be held on November 9, 2025. According to the Presidency, five vacancies were created by the resignations of mayors, while in Tirana, the mayor's dismissal came after the decision of the Municipal Council and then the Council of Ministers, for a 3-month absence from duty.
President Begaj explained that he had verified the regularity of the procedure and found that it was in accordance with the law. He underlined that he was not reviewing the merits of the decision, but only the procedural legitimacy.
Presidency clarification:
The President of the Republic decreed today Sunday, November 9, 2025, as the date for holding partial mayoral elections for the municipalities of Tirana, Vlora, Berat, Mat, Tepelena and Cërrik, after receiving the notification of vacancies from the Council of Ministers on September 30, 2025.
The vacancies in the municipalities of Vlora, Berat, Mat, Tepelena and Cerrik were created due to the resignation of the mayors, while the vacancy in the Municipality of Tirana was created due to the dismissal of the mayor by the Council of Ministers, following the proposal by the Tirana Municipal Council, which, with the vote of the majority and minority councilors (50 votes in favor and only 1 against), requested that the way be opened for early elections for mayor in Tirana.
Due to the high public interest, the Institution of the President of the Republic clarifies that for the vacancy created in Tirana, the President reviewed the regularity of the procedure followed, from the perspective of respecting the independence and proposing authority of the municipal council, and found that the declaration of the vacancy was made at the end of a process of ascertainment and verification, carried out according to the competence of the Tirana Municipal Council and the Council of Ministers.
In respect of institutional neutrality, the President of the Republic does not examine the merits of the case.
From the documentary practice of the case, it results that the Council of Ministers has referred to the legal framework, which determines that dismissal for "failure to appear at work for an uninterrupted period of 3 months" constitutes a different case from dismissal "for serious violations of the Constitution or laws" provided for in Article 115 of the Constitution, which means that for VKM no. 539, dated 25.09.2025, the constitutional jurisdiction for the right to appeal does not apply, but the administrative judicial jurisdiction.
The decision of the Council of Ministers dismissing the mayor “for serious violations of the Constitution or laws” is suspended, in the event that an appeal is filed against him/her with the Constitutional Court. Any other decision dismissing the mayor on the grounds that the latter is “convicted of committing a criminal offense, by a final decision, by the court” or that he/she is “proposed for dismissal by the relevant municipal council for failure to appear for duty for an uninterrupted period of 3 months”, unless appealed to the Administrative Court (not the Constitutional Court), is suspended only if the suspension is specifically ordered by the Administrative Court.
As results from the accompanying documentation of the DCM, this legal clarification has been available to the party and the public since 25.09.2025.
The President of the Republic notes that in the period from the date of approval of the DCM, no appeal has been registered with the competent judicial body and there has been no suspension decision on its part, while the deadline for the President of the Republic to announce the elections is only 48 hours from receipt of the notification.
With the issuance of the decree, legal remedies remain available to the parties in order for them to protect their legitimate interests.
By announcing the partial elections for the municipalities of Tirana, Vlora, Berat, Mat, Tepelena and Cerrik, the President of the Republic calls for a competitive, ethical campaign in full compliance with the Electoral Code, as well as expressing the desire for the citizens of these municipalities to be widely involved and vote en masse in these elections.
