FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
After agreeing on the integration resolution, the SP and the DP have reached consensus on the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly...
Just a few weeks ago, the opposition was protesting in the streets against the government, accusing Edi Rama of state capture, corruption and pressure on the judiciary. On the other hand, the majority continued its attacks on Sali Berisha and the Democratic Party. But while the political clash continues in public, something else is happening in the Assembly: the votes between the SP and the DP are getting closer and closer.
Within a few days, the Socialists and Democrats have produced two important political agreements. On May 14, both parties joined forces to vote on the European integration resolution, declaring EU integration a national strategic objective and agreeing to strengthen political dialogue and joint reforms.
Meanwhile, today, the SP and the DP finalized the agreement on changes to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, where the parties abandoned their positions and built a consensual draft for the functioning of the Parliament.
At first glance, these may seem like technical agreements. But in Albanian politics, major agreements rarely remain merely technical.
An even bigger debate is brewing in the background: amending the Constitution.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly floated the idea of reducing the number of MPs from 140 to 100, while in the Electoral Reform Commission, the Socialists and Democrats have admitted for the first time that changes to the electoral system may require constitutional intervention.
Damian Gjiknuri openly stated that such a reform cannot be done without "political consensus," while Oerd Bylykbashi admitted that the current proportional system is "toxic" and has deformed political pluralism.
This is the point where the shadow of 2008 begins to resurface.
At that time, Edi Rama and Sali Berisha jointly voted for the constitutional changes that produced the regional proportional system, a formula that for years strengthened the dominance of the SP and DP and weakened small parties.
Today, after 18 years, the same protagonists are once again bringing votes closer on topics that directly affect the country's political and institutional architecture.
The agreement on the integration resolution was the first signal. The agreement on the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly seems to be the second signal. Both together are fueling suspicions that the SP and the DP may be preparing the ground for a larger political agreement.
The idea that electoral reform, reducing the number of MPs, and constitutional changes could become part of a new negotiation package between Rama and Berisha is increasingly being discussed in political circles.
This would require a qualified majority of votes in the Assembly, something that neither party can achieve alone.
In this climate, the convergence of votes between the SP and the DP is being seen by critics as a signal of a new political "normalization" between the two major parties, despite harsh public rhetoric.
The question that is increasingly being asked is whether Albania is heading towards another major political agreement like the one in 2008, where the SP and the DP together rewrite the rules of the game.
At the moment, no one publicly acknowledges such a bargain. But two important agreements within a few days have been enough to restore suspicions that real negotiations may not take place in the Assembly hall, but away from the cameras. / Pamphlet
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