Current Speaker of Albanian Parliament Elected President

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Albanian parliament elected its current speaker Ilir Meta of the Socialist Movement for Intergration (LSI) was elected the new President of Albania in the fourth round of elections.

Meta, who was nominated as a candidate in the third round, was elected by 87 votes in favor and two against in the 140-seat parliament, according to the Balkan Insight website.

According to other local media, Meta called on all parties to show more responsibility amid the political crisis in the country, urging them to do everything possible for all political parties to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 18.

The president of Albania is elected by the parliament for a 5-year term, with the constitution foreseeing five rounds of elections. In the first three, a majority of two-thirds (84 out of 140) of the votes is needed for a candidate to be elected, with the next two rounds requiring a simple majority of votes (71 out of 140). If the election fails after the fifth round or is not complete in 35 days after the first round, the parliament must be dissolved and a general election must take place within 60 days.

The opposition refused to take part in the presidential election, as it has been boycotting all parliamentary proceeding since February, claiming that the upcoming parliamentary election will be rigged and refusing to register for it. Instead it demands that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama steps down and allows creation of a caretaker government to ensure free and fair parliamentary election.