FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Constitutional Court decided a few days ago to reinstate Erion Veliaj as Mayor of Tirana, while he had been dismissed from this position through a process initiated and carefully directed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, which began at a meeting of the Socialist Party's National Assembly and concluded at the Government meeting where he made the decision.
The Constitutional Court's decision seems to have caught the head of government off guard, who had been engaged in consecutive meetings with SP officials and MPs for days. Perhaps convinced that the Constitutional Court would not create obstacles to his plan to hold partial elections in Tirana, when faced with the decision, Rama hurried to change strategy, asking the same court to judge with the same standard the release of the Mayor, who has been under the security measure of 'prison arrest' since February 10 at the request of SPAK.
Following the Constitutional Court's decision to reinstate former mayor Erion Veliaj, his lawyers have reacted, specifically representatives from the law firm "Kasowitz LLP", based in New York, and "Mishcon de Reya LLP", based in London, who represent the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj.
The reaction states that this decision constitutes a major breakthrough after a nine-month legal and political battle and 'reaffirms the fundamental constitutional principle that the mandate of an elected official cannot be terminated without respecting due process'.
Full statement
On Monday, November 3, 2025, the Constitutional Court of Albania overturned the decision of the Tirana Municipal Council to dismiss Erion Veliaj and officially reinstated him as Mayor, halting the planned elections and marking a key moment for democratic governance in Albania.
This decision represents a major breakthrough after a nine-month legal and political battle that began with Veliaj’s detention and then his dismissal from office. The Court ruled that the City Council had acted in violation of the Constitution when it used Veliaj’s involuntary detention as a reason for its dismissal. The Court’s decision reaffirms the fundamental constitutional principle that the mandate of an elected official cannot be terminated without due process.
Appearing publicly for the first time since his arrest, Veliaj delivered an emotional nine-minute speech before the Court. “I have waited nine months to speak for nine minutes,” he began, before emphasizing the pretextual nature of the state’s attempt to remove him from office:
“You can put a person in prison, but not their truth. And the truth is that my absence was not a choice, but the result of an isolation imposed by the state, through a disproportionate decision… which deprived me not only of my freedom, but also of my city, before any guilt was proven… Do we want to legitimize the idea that any elected official can be removed from office through a temporary arrest, without a guilty verdict, taking away from the people the mandate that they themselves gave with a free vote?”
Veliaj also condemned the process that stripped him of his mandate, noting that “two injustices do not make justice.” He called on the members of the Court to “protect together the democracy that is being put to the test.”
Daniel Fetterman, of Kasowitz LLP, international advisor to Mayor Veliaj, stated: “This is an extraordinary triumph for Erioni. But not just for him. It is a victory for all the citizens of Tirana and a victory for the rule of law and democracy around the world.”
Observers see the Constitutional Court's decision as a defining milestone in Albania's efforts to strengthen its commitment to the rule of law, as well as in Mayor Veliaj's battle to continue serving the citizens of Tirana and transforming it into a world-class city and a welcoming European destination.
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