Prime Minister Edi Rama has reacted after the country’s Supreme Court upheld the “remand in custody” measure against Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, saying the capital once again remains without its elected leader.

Rama said Veliaj remains in detention without trial despite, as he put it, the Constitutional Court having recently recognized him as the city’s elected mayor and as remaining in office. While stressing that court decisions must be respected, Rama questioned whether there is evidence justifying Veliaj’s continued detention.

He described the case as an “unique ordeal in the history of democratic Europe” and argued that the prolonged detention was creating an increasing cost for Tirana and its nearly one million residents.

“Once again, Tirana is without a head,” Rama said, arguing that the capital has been operating for nearly two years without its elected mayor.

Veliaj remains subject to criminal proceedings, and the courts’ decisions on his detention do not constitute a finding of guilt. The investigation and judicial proceedings against him are ongoing.