Montenegro strips prime minister and ministers of immunity, Bardhi: Spajić frees the judiciary, Rama protects Balluku and corruption

Montenegro’s Parliament has approved constitutional amendments providing for the complete removal of immunity for the prime minister and members of the government cabinet. Following the decision, Democratic Party Parliamentary Group leader Gazment Bardhi compared developments in the neighboring country with the situation in Albania.

Bardhi said the Albanian government had chosen to move in the opposite direction. He recalled that after SPAK requested the suspension of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, Edi Rama proposed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure aimed at stripping the judiciary of the power to suspend senior officials.

According to the head of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group, the political support for Balluku and the majority’s refusal to lift her immunity have undermined Albania’s integration process, prompting Brussels to impose new conditions.

Bardhi stressed that the fundamental difference between the two countries lies in the political will to confront corruption.

In conclusion, he said the difference between the man he described as the “Prime Minister of Europe” in Montenegro and the “Prime Minister of Corruption” in Albania was like night and day. According to Bardhi, one gives the judiciary complete freedom, while the other creates legal barriers for it. He added that Albania should not remain hostage to Edi Rama’s personal problem and that, to serve the country’s interests and enable it to move forward, Rama must leave.