Re-emergence in Politics
In 2002, under pressure from international organizations, Moisiu was chosen by Sali Berisha and Fatos Nano as a consensus candidate for the presidency after the end of Rexhep Meidani's term. Moisiu was found fitting for that post since he was a researcher, was politically neutral, was known as an effective mediator (a quality much appreciated in Albania, which tends to inner quarrels) and had a decisive pro-Western and NATO orientation.
Albanian media emphasized the unusual cooperative spirit between the Albanian Socialist Party and the Albanian Democratic Party: Moisiu was a candidate approved by both Berisha and Nano. Neither Nano nor former president Meidani ran for the presidency, as they had no chance to gather the necessary three fifths of the vote. Meidani was found to be too close to the Socialists, and therefore conservative candidates would not support him.
Moisiu was elected by the People's Assembly by a vote of 97 to 19 (with 14 abstentions) and he was sworn in for a five-year term as president on July 24, 2002.
After the constitutional reform of November 1998, politics is mainly the task of the government. Moisiu promised to contribute to the strengthening of parliamentary democracy, the stabilization of the judiciary system and the integration of Albania into Euro-Atlantic structures.
The day after the beginning of Moisiu's presidency, Socialist Prime Minister Pandeli Majko resigned, and the president appointed Fatos Nano, the leader of the Socialist Party, the new Prime Minister of Albania. That change was a sign of dissension within the party, and compensated Nano for giving up his ambitions for the presidency.
Moisiu has since strongly criticized Nano for excessive concentration of power and the slowness of reforms.
Read more about this topic: Alfred Moisiu
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