In a reaction filled with irony and political messages, Prime Minister Edi Rama today drew several "logical conclusions" following the Constitutional Court's decision, which left Tirana without elections until 2027 and left in force the condition that the mayor can only be removed by vote.
Rama, while implying that the Court rejected the "power grab" narrative, raised the question of whether Erion Veliaj's detention does not now violate not only his constitutional rights, but also the right of the citizens of Tirana to be governed by their elected representative.
"Once again, it was proven that I did not seize all the power," he writes, adding that keeping the elected mayor in prison, in conditions where there are no elections until 2027, constitutes "harm not only personal, but also to the right of the people of the capital to be served."
The Prime Minister goes even further, leaving open the expectation that the Constitutional Court, with the same "principle", could reinstate Veliaj during the judicial process: "Any normal person... cannot help but expect that with the same principle... the Constitutional Court will reinstate Veliaj, to continue the process in a free state."
According to Rama, two "conclusions" are now certain, that the powers have not been captured and that the citizens of Tirana cannot be left without a mayor until 2027, while the decision on Veliaj's procedural fate remains to be seen.
The Prime Minister closed with a call for the capital not to be treated "as an orphan for years", appealing to institutions to "resolve the absurd impasse".
This reaction comes at a heated political moment, where the Constitutional Court's decision has opened a new debate on the balance of power, the functioning of local government, and the relationship between justice and politics.
