Albanian Premier Edi Rama responded to President Ilir Meta’s declarations today that he is the first soldier in defense of the Constitution.

“Protecting the Constitution is no one’s territory but the first duty of the President of the Republic”, Meta said. “The President is not merely the Commander of the Armed Forces, but he is also the first soldier of the Republic”.

Rama responded through a tweet that Meta is merely the LSI commander (the Socialist Movement for Integration, the party Meta founded in 2004 after breaking with the Socialist Party), because, according to the Constitution, he commands nothing.

“Ilir, you are merely the LSI Commander, because Albania is not at war, and in peace the Armed Forces are not under the command of the President of the Republic, who, according to the Constitution, commands nothing  and no one, but incarnates the national unity, not division, disputes, degradation”, Rama tweeted.