Today, in the fourth round of voting, the Assembly of Albania elected the former Chief of the General Staff, Bajram Begaj, as the new president, Tanjug writes. 78 deputies voted for his election by secret ballot, four were against and one abstained.
Begaj was nominated as the presidential candidate by 37 deputies of the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama, ABC Albania reports. Rama told lawmakers that Begaj would be “the normal president of a normal country”. Begaj will succeed Ilir Meta at the head of the state, and his term will last five years.
Major General Bajram Begaj became the Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces in 2020 after performing various functions in the army, mainly in the field of medicine. The election of a new president has already failed in three rounds, which required three-fifths of the vote in the 140-seat parliament, according to Reuters.
A simple majority is needed in the last two rounds, and Rama’s party has 74 seats. The president’s role is largely protocol, although he has certain powers over the judiciary and the military, according to Reuters.
