The Prime Minister defeats the President’s clan
Meidani’s lobby shrinks in the face of the Majko, Nano, Meta trio
Majko announces the dismissal of Interior Minister Petro Koçi
A closed circle for the Presidency
Among the steadfast points on which Prime Minister Majko has not been criticized or attacked so far is his passion for governing effectively and free from clans and narrow interests. His latest move makes this idea even stronger. One of the main implications of the request to dismiss Interior Minister Petro Koçi is also the curtailment of President Meidani’s hegemony, which he is seeking to extend from SHIK to the president of the Court of Cassation. By dismissing the Interior Minister, Prime Minister Majko has tried to remove from his government one of Meidani’s allies, who was, in any case, a wounded ally. And, as will happen, Koçi’s departure from office will carry with it the President’s regret. This fact was presented for public consumption by Meidani’s failure to issue a decree yesterday. Meanwhile, he is expected not to sign and to delay Majko’s request to the very limits of the law. This seems natural if one understands that with Koçi’s departure, the President loses one of his main sources of influence in his silent hegemony over the state’s key institutions. The same position was also observed regarding the head of the State Intelligence Service, Fatos Klosi. In that case, Meidani had the Constitution on his side, which grants him the right to dismiss or not dismiss this official. The situation is different with Koçi. Another sign pointing to the President’s clans is the priority treatment given to Minister Thimio Kondi as a candidate for the position of president of the High Court. Meidani’s ties with Thimio are well known; they date back to when both were seriously involved with the NGO Albanian Human Rights Center. Meidani was president of this association, while Kondi was a lawyer. Meidani will propose Kondi’s candidacy to Parliament, having learned that Majko wanted to dismiss him as Justice Minister on the grounds that he was “incompetent.” Giving him such a key position in the judiciary secures another strong point of support for Meidani, but Parliament has shown signs that it will not approve Kondi, since, being incompetent, he benefits from his friendship with the President of the Republic.
All the concern and responsibility for the changes in government have now moved from the Prime Minister’s door to Meidani’s gate. Majko, despite making his request two days after reaching an agreement with Koçi and being in a difficult position, may be calmer than all the other protagonists. First, because under every constitutional norm, he has the right to govern with whoever he considers suitable; it is the government’s right to cooperate. In Koçi’s case, this has become impossible in public. Majko also has the overwhelming majority of public opinion on his side. His visible popularity is greater than that of all the other decision-makers, even though the President’s clan will launch an offensive. It seems that Meidani’s clan, which still controls key positions, will face the trio of Nano-Majko-Meta, formed several days ago, which will defeat the hegemony of the President of the Republic.