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Ndregjoni responds to Balla: Attempts are being made to prevent the candidacy of a politically persecuted person

2025-12-11 13:51:00, Politikë CNA

Ndregjoni responds to Balla: Attempts are being made to prevent the candidacy of

The head of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, accused the opposition today of making a mistake with the proposed name of Besim Ndregjoni as a candidate for People's Advocate.

In his speech in the Assembly, Balla stated that Ndregjoni is 77 years old and as such is above the age criteria for this position.

Besim Ndregjoni reacted to this statement by Balla.

He stated that Albanian law does not provide for any age limit for the election of the Ombudsman. According to him, any claim related to an age limit is completely unfounded in law.

Ndregjoni stated that his candidacy has been regularly reviewed and verified by the competent structures of the Assembly, which have confirmed compliance with all criteria set by legislation.

He said that the statement that the candidacy cannot be voted on, due to age, constitutes a blatant distortion of the truth and an unacceptable interference in the voting process.

Ndregjoni added that an attempt is being made to deliberately prevent the candidacy of a politically persecuted person for an independent constitutional position. This is not only unfair, but according to him, constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights, the principle of equality and free participation in public life.

"Following the public statement of MP Taulant Balla, who stated that the candidacy for Ombudsman "cannot be voted on since the candidate has reached the age of 70", I would like to make a necessary clarification for the public and international partners.

Albanian law does not provide for any age limit for the election of the Ombudsman. Article 3 of Law No. 8454/1999 clearly defines what the criteria for this function are, and age is not and has never been part of them. For this reason, any claim related to an age limit is completely unfounded in law.

My candidacy has been regularly reviewed and verified by the competent structures of the Assembly, which have confirmed my compliance with all the criteria set by the legislation. The statement that the candidacy “cannot be voted for” due to age constitutes a blatant distortion of the truth and an unacceptable interference in the voting process.

In this case, an attempt is being made to deliberately prevent a politically persecuted person from running for an independent constitutional office. This is not only unfair, but it constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights, the principle of equality and free participation in public life. Using fabricated justifications to prevent the voting of a legitimate candidate is a discriminatory practice, which sets a dangerous precedent and brings to mind practices that Albania has tried to overcome.

Such actions run counter to the standards required by the EU, US, OSCE and Council of Europe, which have stressed for years that independent institutions should be elected through transparent, impartial and merit-based processes. Attempts to distort the law and the voting process undermine public trust and damage the country's democratic image.

"I call on institutions to respect the law and guarantee a fair process, by not allowing political interference that undermines the election of the Ombudsman, a key institution for the protection of human rights," said Ndregjoni.