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Prime Minister Edi Rama on Sunday announced that four ministers were leaving the cabinet, allegedly to focus on the upcoming June 18 general election.

Three months ahead of parliamentary elections on June 18, Albania's Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the departure of four ministers, allegedly to focus on the upcoming election campaign.

A group of 11 MPs in Albania have made a joint call for the President to be elected by direct vote in future.

The initiative is being launched a year before the current President, Bujar Nishani, finishes his five-year term. The political parties leaders have yet to enter the negotiating process of selecting a successor.

The current constitution stipulates that the President of Albania is elected by a vote in parliament. The successful candidate must win three-quarters of MPs' votes, which is 84 out of 140 in total.

Though lacking support from the opposition, the Albanian Parliament on Thursday passed a plan to bring a judicial reform package to a vote next month, a dangerous move that could bring down the government.

Lawmakers voted 71-to-38 to bring the matter to a vote before parliament closes its session at the end of July. The package is fundamental to ensuring the European Union will launch membership negotiations with Tirana.

Albania is expected to open a NATO excellence centre this year that will conduct studies into foreign terrorist fighters.

The project got the green light from the alliance's military committee in May and Albanian Defence Ministry officials are now discussing modalities with alliance counterparts.

Colonel Bardhyl Kollcaku, director of the Defence Intelligence and Security agency, AISM, told BIRN that Albania pitched the initiative after spotting a vacuum in NATO over this phenomenon.

Ask Bujar Hysa about the charges that landed him in Tirana’s cramped No. 302 Prison, and he spits furious denials. “I never encouraged terrorism!” declared the Muslim cleric, convicted last month of recruiting young Albanians for the Islamic State.

The European Union is urging Albania to complete a package of judicial reforms if it wants to launch full membership talks with the bloc.

Referencing Albania's upcoming appearance in soccer's European Championship in France, the EU's top official for enlargement Johannes Hahn, said in a statement Tuesday that "the coming days will be decisive whether Albania will advance in the Euro Championship or stays in the group stage."

Elvis Rroshi, who has been mayor of Kavaja since 2011, resigned on Tuesday, the first senior official to step down after the passing of a law that aims to get people with criminal records out of Albanian politics.

“Today I have to disclose to the public with deepest regret that I have received unexpected information that changes everyything. My lawyers have informed me that, unexpectedly and unknowingly, I have received a conviction [while I was] under age,” Rroshi said in a Facebook post.

The deadline for Albania to complete judicial reforms needed to open European Union accession negotiations is close to expiring, with only one month left before the constitutional changes required for the reform can pass through parliament.

June is last month when parliament - before the recess in July - can vote to pass the amendments that require 93 out of 140 MPs to vote and so open the way for EU bodies to assess Albania's request to open membership negotiation.

However, the political situation remains in deadlock.

In Albania, Socialist Movement for Integration of the parliamentary speaker, Ilir Meta, doesn’t rule out a possible reunification with the right wing in the future, as long as this serves to the interest of the country and the citizens.

Commenting the possible return to cooperating with Democratic Party, leader of the SMI, who is a speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Ilir Meta, alludes that the 2009-2013 period may be repeated.

“What’s important for us is for SMI to serve to the country in terms of governing”, Meta says.