TIRANA, Oct 16 /ATA/ The Chairman of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, reacted following his exclusion from today’s plenary session by the Speaker of the Assembly, Niko Peleshi.
Speaking to the media after the session, Bardhi stated that the opposition rejected the decision to pass institutional reports without debate, calling it an unprecedented case in the country’s 34 years of parliamentary history.
“They intend to pass the justice institutions’ reports without any debate, setting a new precedent—unheard of in 34 years of the Albanian Parliament—where institutions present their reports but deputies are denied the right to publicly question them in front of the citizens. This is why we opposed the decision and will continue to do so whenever the Constitution and Parliamentary Rules are violated, and whenever deputies’ rights are infringed upon,” Bardhi declared.
According to him, the decision to exclude the opposition was predetermined, aimed at skipping debate on important issues such as the waste management law and the investigations into the incinerators.
Bardhi accused the majority of deliberately blocking debates on key issues like the waste management law and alleged corruption involving incinerators, aiming to silence Parliament and undermine the opposition and the Constitution. He also criticized the majority for not supporting the resolution condemning the Serbian genocide in Kosovo.
Bardhi stated that the majority voted against a motion that would have set the tone for a debate on how to recover 112 million euros owed to Albanian farmers, funds that are currently frozen due to government corruption.
Referring to the discussions on representation in the special commission for Territorial Reform, Bardhi added that the opposition expects adherence to parliamentary tradition, which ensures equality between the majority and the opposition in this process.
/sm/
