New parliamentary dress code to rein in Albania’s sneaker loving PM

New parliamentary dress code to rein in Albania’s sneaker loving PM
Albanian PM Edi Rama votes in the June 2017 general election.
By bne IntelliNews October 8, 2017

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will have to change his sartorial ways when he attends parliament sessions under a new code of conduct for MPs drawn up by the governing Socialist Party. 

The code, local media report, is intended to fix problems in the parliament which crop up due to improper behaviour by lawmakers by setting out rules MPs will have to respect. 

One of the new rules unveiled by Taulant Balla, leader of the Socialists’ parliamentary group, is that proper dress is required in the parliament. 

This was included even though party leader Rama has many times arrived at sessions wearing sneakers instead of shoes. 

The Albanian prime minister, a former artist and basketball player, is known for breaking the rules of business attire, famously turning up to the Western Balkans summit in Trieste in July in a suit and tie paired with white trainers. 

While footage from the event shows Rama with world leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, he was reportedly left out of a family photo with Mike Pence at the request of the US vice president. 

Other rules for Albanian MPs — such as that lawmakers cannot disrupt sessions or offend each other — are more likely to affect the notoriously boisterous opposition Democratic Party, Albanian Daily News reported. Also aimed at calming down the environment in the parliament is a requirement that MPs speak only with the permission of the speaker, and a ban on mobile phones. 

 

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