Albanian Parliament impeaches President for vote comments

The Albanian Parliament on Wednesday impeached President Ilir Meta for violating the constitution and discharged him from the post.

In an extraordinary session, the parliament voted 104-7 to discharge the president. Three abstained. The final approval comes from Albania's Constitutional Court within three months.

A report of a parliamentary investigation concluded that Meta had violated the constitution with his biased approach against the ruling Socialists during the April 25 parliamentary electoral campaign. The report said Meta violated 16 articles and also incited violence.

Meta, whose post is largely ceremonial and apolitical, accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of concentrating all legislative, administrative and judicial powers in his hands.