Controversial reform of local government dissolving smaller municipalities into larger units passes after stormy debate, with protesters demonstrating outside parliament.
The Albanian parliament in session. Photo: Photo: Malton Dibra/LSA.
After a tense session lasting more than 12 hours, Albania’s parliament voted in the early hours of Friday morning for territorial reform legislation, as people protested against the outside the building and clashed with police.
Police said eight protesters were arrested during the clashes.
Opposition Democratic Party MPs opposed the reform. One MP, Gazment Bardhi, threw bottles of water at Prime Minister Edi Rama during the vote.
The government argues that the current map of 61 municipalities no longer reflects Albania’s demographic and economic reality.
Critics, however, say the only result will be greater centralisation and the further isolation of rural communities from public services, spurring even greater depopulation.
There was some criticism of the reform within Rama’s ruling Socialist Party, too, with MP Erion Brace expressing opposition but finally voting in favour. Asked why by journalists, he said: “I am still against the reform … I will tell you tomorrow about the motives for my vote.”
The law needed 84 votes to pass. The Socialists have 83 seats. According to media, Rama ordered Socialist MPs to “either vote in favour or leave the party”. With votes from the Social Democratic Party MPs, the law passed with 85 votes in favour.
Rama later on Friday said that the vote in parliament “gave Albania another modernising push”.
Albania’s municipalities have responsibility for waste management, drinking water, urban planning, public transport, social services, environmental protection, energy efficiency, climate adaptation, civil protection and local public procurement.
The reform comes 12 years after the last shake-up in which the number of municipalities was slashed from 400 to 61.