Erion Veliaj Revokes Anuela Ristani’s Delegated Powers: She Refused Orders and Severed Institutional Coordination

Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana, has decided to revoke the order temporarily delegating the mayor’s duties to Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani, who will consequently no longer exercise the delegated powers.

The decision was confirmed to BalkanWeb by journalist Klodiana Lala.

The order is based on Article 8, paragraph 2, and Article 64 of Law No. 139/2015 “On Local Self-Government,” as amended, as well as Article 113 of Law No. 44/2015, “The Code of Administrative Procedures of the Republic of Albania.”

The document explains that Order No. 366 (Protocol No. 7461), dated 14.02.2025, “On the Temporary Delegation of the Duties of the Mayor of Tirana,” was issued as a temporary organizational measure, aimed at ensuring the continuation of the administration’s work and the provision of Tirana Municipality services under the circumstances that existed at the time.

According to the decision, the mandate of the elected Mayor of Tirana has continued to be legally in force and has been recognized by two decisions of the Constitutional Court. The court’s most recent decision, the document states, removed any uncertainty regarding the continuation of the mandate, its constitutional protection, and the authority deriving from it.

The Constitutional Court has thus created a new and decisive circumstance for institutional relations within Tirana Municipality. For this reason, any delegated powers must be exercised in full compliance and coordination with the elected mayor, whose mandate has been finally confirmed at the constitutional level.

The document underlines that, because of its temporary and derivative nature, the delegation may continue only for as long as it fulfills the purpose for which it was granted. It must be implemented while respecting the constitutional and legal authority of the delegating body and cannot be transformed into an independent source of powers detached from that body.

The decision states that, particularly following the Constitutional Court’s latest ruling, a gradual departure has been observed in the exercise of the delegated powers from the constitutional and legal authority of the elected mayor.

According to the document, this has been manifested through a lack of information and institutional coordination, failure to implement court decisions, failure to implement and refusal to comply with the mayor’s direct orders, as well as through actions and omissions that have damaged the normal chain of responsibility and leadership at Tirana Municipality.

The situation, it further states, reached its peak with the refusal to recognize the authority of the elected mayor to exercise the powers directly granted to him by the Constitution and the law. In this way, the delegation, which initially aimed to ensure administrative continuity, became an obstacle to the effective exercise of the delegating body’s mandate.

The circumstances described, together with recent developments, are considered a fundamental change in the institutional conditions under which the delegation was granted. According to the order, its continuation is no longer consistent with the need for a clear chain of responsibility, the normal functioning of the administration, and the effective exercise of the elected mayor’s mandate.

To guarantee legality, continuity, stability, and the normal functioning of Tirana Municipality, as well as the uninterrupted provision of public services and the protection of the interests of Tirana’s citizens, the revocation is ordered of Order No. 366 (Protocol No. 7461), dated 14.02.2025, issued by the mayor of Tirana Municipality, “On the Temporary Delegation of the Duties of the Mayor of Tirana Municipality.”

With the revocation of this order, Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani will no longer exercise the delegated powers of the Mayor of Tirana.

Tirana Municipality, the General Directorate of Internal Administration, the General Directorate of Media and Citizen Communication, as well as all responsible structures, are tasked with implementing the decision.

The order enters into force immediately and will be posted on the public notice board of Tirana Municipality.

MAYOR

Erion Veliaj