The saga of the election of the People's Advocate has ended. Parliament approved the candidacy of Endri Shabani late on Thursday with 85 votes in favor and 3 against.

Prime Minister Edi Rama was also present at the session at the time of the vote.

After supporting the 6 candidates with signatures, and then declaring its withdrawal from the signatures, the Democratic Party requested in the plenary session that the election of the People's Advocate be removed from the agenda, a request which was rejected by the majority.

The opposition debated for 3 hours on the draft decision on the election of the Ombudsman, accusing the majority of bargaining.

Before the voting process began, the DP deputies left the session.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Niko Peleshi, declared after the closing of the vote that, in the next session, the Ombudsman will take the oath in the Parliament of Albania.

Votes of the 6 candidates for the Ombudsman Institution

Tartar Bazaj – 1 vote in favor, 79 abstentions, 7 votes against

Aranita Braho – 4 votes in favor, 76 abstentions, 7 against

Skënder Haluci – 1 vote in favor, 72 abstentions, 14 against

Adriana Kalaja – 0 votes in favor, 17 abstentions, 69 against

Besim Ndregjoni – 0 votes in favor, 61 abstentions, 25 against

Endrit Shabani – 85 votes in favor, 0 abstentions, 3 against