Albanian MPs voted to dismiss the president on Wednesday, accusing him of breaking the rules of his office by siding with the opposition during campaigning for an election in April. Ilir Meta's office immediately dismissed the vote as "an unconstitutional and ridiculous decision". The Constitutional Court has three months to confirm or reject the decision, during which time Meta will remain in post. Meta and Prime Minister Edi Rama clashed repeatedly during a bitter election campaign. He accused Rama of being authoritarian and corrupt, attacks that were rejected by the prime minister. He had also promised to quit the largely ceremonial post of president if the Socialists won the vote -- which they did. Shortly after the election, a parliamentary commission was set up to investigate the president's behaviour. The commission concluded on Wednesday that Meta had violated 16 articles of the Constitution by "openly committing himself in the 25 April parliamentary elections to the opposition". "For this reason, he must be removed from office," the report stated. His dismissal was approved by 104 out of 120 sitting MPs. "Ilir Meta has betrayed the mission of the President of the Republic," Rama said before the vote, adding that he had "lost the right" to remain in office. A former prime minister and member of the Socialists, Meta formed his own party in 2004. He was chosen by the Socialist-dominated parliament to serve as president in 2017, but relations soured dramatically since then. bme/rus/jxb/har