FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The opposition blocks the rostrum to prevent the continuation of the session on territorial reform. The Socialist Party denies that the reform is being voted on, while the change in the agenda is approved with 84 votes. Outside the Parliament, protesters clash with the police amid tear gas, pepper spray and smoke.
The plenary session of the Parliament took place in a tense atmosphere both inside and outside the Parliament building. While the opposition blocked the rostrum, preventing the normal continuation of the proceedings, outside the Parliament, since 08:30, hundreds of citizens gathered in protest, which was accompanied by strong clashes with police forces.
Protesters attempted to approach the entrances to the Parliament, while police intervened to repel them. During the clashes, tear gas, pepper spray and thick clouds of smoke were used, while there were moments of tension between the officers and the protesters.
Inside the Assembly hall, the opposition continued to block the rostrum to prevent the presentation of reports by expert groups on administrative-territorial reform.
The head of the SP Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, accused the opposition of implementing a repeated scenario to impede the normal development of the session and rejected claims that territorial reform would be voted on during the session.
" It is untrue that the territorial reform will be voted on today. Today only the reports of the two parties are presented. The deputies are holding the session hostage by blocking the rostrum ," declared Balla.
He proposed suspending discussions on territorial reform and moving on to considering draft resolutions on independent justice institutions.
The proposal was approved by the Assembly with 84 votes in favor, 7 against and no abstentions, paving the way for the continuation of the agenda. Among the MPs who voted was Prime Minister Edi Rama, who joined the plenary session.
Earlier, after nearly four hours of procedural debate, the Assembly attempted to move on to the presentation of the reports on territorial reform. However, the Democratic co-chair of the committee, Luciano Boçi, approached the podium again to prevent Arbjan Mazniku from presenting the report, forcing the chair to declare a five-minute recess for the third time.
Boçi accused the majority of acting unilaterally and not respecting the consultation process for the administrative-territorial reform.
According to him, the Democratic Party's request for a three-month extension of the Special Commission's mandate was rejected without arguments, while the report being presented does not represent the product of the commission.
" This report is not a product of the Parliamentary Committee. There can be no final report without first going through the committee. You want to continue a project for the merger of municipalities and the depopulation of the country ," declared Boçi.
On the other hand, Balla opposed the extension of the commission's mandate, emphasizing that the deadlines have been met and that the process cannot be reversed.
" This commission has completed its mandate. Today, the Assembly hears the findings of the experts and not the approval of the reform. Afterwards, each MP can present their own proposals ," he said.
Even the head of the DP Parliamentary Group, Gazment Bardhi, raised doubts about the report distributed to MPs, stating that the document was sent by e-mail the day before and its origin is unknown.
According to Bardhi, the work on territorial reform has not been completed, while consultations with citizens and with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe are lacking.
Despite the tensions in the hall and the protest outside the Parliament, the Assembly continued parliamentary procedures, while the situation remained tense both inside and in the security perimeter around the Parliament building.
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