Prime Minister’s Office has weighed in on the growing dispute surrounding Tirana’s municipal leadership, after Mayor Erion Veliaj moved to dismiss Anuela Ristani from her position as acting mayor.

Manjola Hasa, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office’s Agency for Media and Information, told to Top Channel that Veliaj remains the mayor of Tirana under a ruling by Albania’s Constitutional Court.

In its response, the government said the Constitutional Court’s decision was clear and argued that Veliaj’s mandate is not merely a personal right, but also a right belonging to the voters of Albania’s capital.

“The Constitutional Court has spoken on this issue and its decision is clear: Erion Veliaj is the Mayor of Tirana,” the statement said.

The Prime Minister’s Office added that the continued exercise of Veliaj’s mandate is linked to the democratic rights of Tirana voters, arguing that those rights are being affected by the current situation and its impact on the city’s administration and public services.

The government also described the situation at Tirana City Hall as the result of what it called a legal and institutional “absurdity,” created by the fact that an elected mayor is being held in detention.

According to the statement, Veliaj’s detention has effectively forced Tirana to be governed through subordinates operating at a distance.

“This is the Prime Minister’s position, and this is a matter of respecting the Constitution and the will of the voters,” the statement said, adding that the Prime Minister sees no room for alternative interpretations of the issue.

The dispute comes as questions continue to surround the authority of Tirana’s municipal leadership while Veliaj remains unable to physically perform his duties.