Democratic Party MP Ina Zhupa, through a video and a post shared on social media, has brought to attention the Constitutional Court's decision of 2025, where it rejected the request filed by her to repeal Law 21/2024 on Protected Areas. Zhupa states that when this institution had the opportunity to ban the law, it did not rise to the occasion and this has shaken the trust of citizens.
The MP states that the protesters have risen up against the system because even independent institutions are not functioning. She calls on the Court of Justice to reflect after the protests, as every decision is judged by history.
"In this battle of citizens to protect the public interest, we must not forget the role of the Constitutional Court. When it had the opportunity and responsibility to stop Law 21/2024, it chose not to rise to the occasion. With a 4-4 decision, the law remained in force and citizens were left without the answer they expected from the highest constitutional institution of the country.
This is precisely why the word “system” is heard more and more often in protests. Because even institutions that should be independent, unfortunately, do not function as such. Clearly, some of them serve as a guarantee for the government to protect the abuse of power. When these institutions do not fulfill their constitutional mission, but create the perception of favors and political favors, then the very trust of citizens in the state is shaken.
The case of Holta Zaçaj reinforces this perception. Without being a judge for a day, she became the president of the Constitutional Court and before the chair of the president of the Constitutional Court had even cooled down, she was voted by the majority for the position of member of the governing council of the Bank of Albania and became deputy governor. Find another example in the world where the head of the Constitutional Court immediately moves, with the votes of the majority, to one of the most important positions of the country's banking institution.
"The Constitutional Court must seriously reflect on this citizen protest. You have examples of judges with integrity within you, who also saw the violation in this case, but others should not be blindfolded by power every time they make a decision. Because every decision is judged by history and history remembers those who acted but also those who chose to turn a blind eye to violations when they had the obligation to react," she writes.
