FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Chairman of the Democratic Party Parliamentary Group, Gazment Bardhi, has sent an official letter to nine embassies in Tirana, including the US and the European Union Delegation, denouncing the government's efforts to unilaterally amend the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and outside any democratic standards.
At the heart of this warning is the statement made by Edi Rama during the Socialist Party National Assembly on September 11, where proposals were presented to increase the number of parliamentary committees and merge the Committee on European Integration, merging it with the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The new committee will be led by the majority, excluding the opposition from its traditional and well-known role in the Western Balkan countries.
" This is a serious deviation from democratic tradition and European practice ," writes Bardhi, emphasizing that in all parliaments in the region, integration committees are led by the opposition, to ensure control and inclusiveness in a process that cannot be partisan.
He raises concerns that the changes were not proposed through parliamentary procedure, but during a party meeting, without any consultation with the opposition or review by the Rules Council, which according to the Constitution must function on a consensual basis.
" Any attempt to approve these changes without dialogue is an institutional blow to political coexistence in the Assembly and to the European integration process ," Bardhi emphasizes in his letter, requesting immediate diplomatic intervention.
He calls on international representations to encourage the majority to return to the dialogue table and to guarantee the preservation of democratic standards, without which Albania's European integration risks degrading into a formal process without real involvement of the political spectrum.
Bardhi's Letter
On 11 September, during the National Assembly of the Socialist Party, Prime Minister Edi Rama declared that a working group, composed only of Socialist Party members, had been working on some changes that should be made to the naming, composition and leadership of parliamentary committees. No opposition MP was part of this working group, nor was he invited to join. The unilateral proposals made by Prime Minister Rama included increasing the number of parliamentary committees from 8 to 11, as well as merging the Committee on European Integration with the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The new Committee on Europe and Foreign Affairs will be led by the socialist majority, a departure from long parliamentary tradition and democratic practice.
Apart from the fact that these proposals were not presented through the regular parliamentary procedure, but during the National Assembly of the Socialist Party, they completely ignore the models of the Western Balkan countries, in which each parliament has a dedicated committee for European integration, led by the opposition (Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia). The main purpose of these committees is to guarantee proper consideration of any draft law related to European integration, as well as to ensure a meaningful role of the opposition in the integration process.
The Rules of Procedure of Parliament guarantee the democratic coexistence of political parties and any amendment must be made through dialogue, consensus and inclusiveness. Any proposal must be reviewed by the Parliamentary Council on Rules, Mandates and Ethics, which is composed of 10 members, with equal representation between the majority and the opposition. This configuration is intended to ensure that no amendment is adopted unless there is an inter-party agreement. While this principle is important for all changes, it is particularly important for those changes that affect European integration, which is and must remain a matter of national consensus rather than party control.
For these reasons, we kindly urge your Excellencies to take these developments into account and, in your capacities as valued partners and friends of our country, to encourage the restoration of inclusiveness and consensus in the functioning of the Albanian Parliament. Preserving democratic traditions is not only a matter of domestic importance, but an indispensable requirement for Albania's European integration journey.
Lini një Përgjigje