KAS Keeps Kreshnik Hajdari in Office as Kuçovë Mayor, DP: Decision Creates a Dangerous Precedent for Elections

The Democratic Party has described the decision by the Complaints and Sanctions Commission (KAS) to keep Kreshnik Hajdari in office as mayor of Kuçovë as a dangerous precedent for elections.

In a statement to the media, Marash Logu, secretary for legal and electoral affairs at the Democratic Party headquarters, said the decision was an open attempt to undermine the Decriminalization Law, which was passed as a vital guarantee to cleanse local government of individuals with criminal pasts.

“After the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) found the Socialist Party official guilty and sentenced him for falsifying the decriminalization form, keeping him in office through legal acrobatics is indefensible. This decision creates a dangerous precedent in which concealing criminal records and deceiving state and electoral institutions are not only left unpunished by removal from office, but are publicly tolerated,” he said.

He added that the citizens of Kuçovë and Albania deserve to be represented by officials who respect the law, not by individuals who violate it and remain in office through one-sided decisions.

It should be recalled that a few days ago, KAS upheld the Central Election Commission’s decision concerning the mandate of Kuçovë Mayor Kreshnik Hajdari.

Hajdari was sentenced in a final ruling in July 2024 to six months in prison for falsifying the decriminalization form; the sentence was converted to probation.

The mayor had failed to declare a sentence imposed on June 23, 1999, in a final ruling by the Ioannina Court for entering Greek territory without permission. Because he was 17 years old, the sentence was converted into the educational measure of a “reprimand.”

FULL STATEMENT:

The decision of the Complaints and Sanctions Commission (KAS) to uphold the mandate of Kuçovë Mayor Kreshnik Hajdari constitutes a serious blow to the rule of law and a direct undermining of citizens’ trust in institutions and the free vote.

The Democratic Party considers this decision an open attempt to eliminate the spirit and letter of the Decriminalization Law (Law No. 138/2015). This law was adopted as a vital guarantee to cleanse the administration and local government of people with criminal pasts and to protect the integrity of public office.

After the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) found the Socialist Party official guilty and sentenced him for falsifying the decriminalization form, keeping him in office through legal acrobatics is indefensible. This decision creates a dangerous precedent in which concealing criminal records and deceiving state and electoral institutions are not only left unpunished by removal from office, but are publicly tolerated.

The Electoral Code and the Constitution of the Republic of Albania cannot be interpreted according to two different standards in order to protect the political interests of those in power. The citizens of Kuçovë and all of Albania deserve to be represented by officials who respect the law, not by individuals who violate it and remain in office thanks to one-sided decisions.

The Democratic Party declares that this battle for legality and the dignity of the vote will continue through all remaining levels of the judiciary. We remain unwavering in our commitment to protect the standards of free and fair elections from any element that distorts the will of the sovereign.