Analyst Ilir Kulla linked Erion Veliaj’s transfer from the prison in Tirana to the prison in Fier to a political conflict between the mayor and Prime Minister Edi Rama, which he said was related to the leadership of Tirana Municipality.
In an interview with the “Free Zone” program on News24, Kulla said the clash may have begun after the deputy mayor of Tirana was dismissed about a month ago. According to him, Rama asked Veliaj to delegate signing authority and appoint a well-known civil society figure as deputy mayor, as a solution ahead of the next elections.
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Kulla claimed that Veliaj refused to hand over his signing authority to anyone and insisted that he would remain in office until the day he left the post. He also said the mayor had not received the salary he was entitled to for a year and a half while in prison.
“I think the real reason is connected to a request Rama made to Veliaj about a month ago, after the deputy mayor was dismissed. Since Veliaj cannot be a candidate in the next elections, Rama asked him to appoint a very well-known figure from civil society.
With the next elections in mind, which the President of the Republic decreed today, he asked him to delegate his signing authority and appoint a publicly well-known figure as deputy mayor. For personal reasons, I will not make his name public.
Veliaj basically said he would not delegate his signing authority to anyone and would remain in office until the day he was no longer mayor. After he was dismissed once and reinstated through the Constitutional Court, he said he would not hand over his signing authority to anyone. This led to the clash.
He faced arrogance and aggression in an extremely harsh manner, while for a year and a half, even though he was in prison, he had not been paid the salary he was entitled to as mayor.
That is where the clash began, and the situation reached the point we are at today. Veliaj has been transferred, making things more difficult for his family. Meanwhile, sources citing Mr. Rama said today that Veliaj is no longer with us because he is with the protesters.
Rama has definitively chosen to distance himself from Veliaj and confront him. On the other hand, the issue concerns Tirana Municipality, the largest in the country. In addition to the legal battle, a political one has also emerged within the same camp. The relationship, which had been fractured for some time, appears to be nearing its political and personal end,” Kulla said.
