Prime Minister Edi Rama says Begai has been selected from 26 candidates “as the most suitable to be the president of Albania for the next five years”
The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama announced today that his party elects Chief of General Staff General Bairam Begay for the presidency, after the failure to elect a person with a broad consensus.
Lt. Gen. Bairam Begay will take over as chief of staff of the Albanian Armed Forces in 2020.
Rama said that Begai was selected from 26 candidates “as the most suitable to be the president of Albania for the next five years”.
The first three ballots for the election of a new president, which required a three-fifths majority in the 140-member parliament, were unsuccessful.
The last two rounds require a simple majority and Rama’s ruling party has secured 74 votes. The next round is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday.
The role of the president in Albania is largely symbolicalthough it retains some powers in the areas of Justice and National Defense.
Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009.
