Albanian Parliament To Swear In Meta As President On July 24
The swearing-in ceremony for Albanian President-elect Ilir Meta has been set for July 24, the current president’s office has said.
President Bujar Nishani on June 30 called for an extraordinary session of parliament to swear in Meta, a 48-year-old economist. His term is scheduled to run until 2022.
Meta was chosen president, a largely ceremonial role, on April 28 by an 87-2 vote of the 140-seat parliament. The election was boycotted by the opposition, which was upset about oversight of the country's parliamentary elections.
Meta led the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) party, a post he must relinquish upon taking over the presidency.
On June 25, the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama secured a governing majority in parliamentary elections.
The opposition center-right Democratic Party of Lulzim Basha finished second, while the LSI finished third.
The opposition threatened to boycott the parliamentary election before a deal brokered by the United States and the European Union helped settle a dispute over election oversight and other matters.
Meta previously served as Albania's prime minister, at age 30, and also was the minister of foreign affairs and the economic minister
