TIRANA, Jan 19 /ATA/ On Monday, Taulant Balla, the head of the Socialist Party’s parliamentary group, announced that the majority is ready to collaborate with the opposition on the adoption of the new Electoral Code and the implementation of the territorial reform.
Speaking at the Conference of Chairpersons ahead of the kickoff of parliamentary session, Balla called on the opposition to focus on parliamentary efforts to finalize two key reforms, stressing that the ‘revolutions’ they proclaimed will not take place.
“We are fully committed to working together to deliver a new Electoral Code for Albania, in line with the best international standards, a functional administrative-territorial division, and everything else required by the process,” said Balla.
Addressing opposition MPs, he pointed out that these reforms cannot be put on hold, reminding them of the agreement reached in the previous session to set up the necessary committees.
“If you pull out of the committees today, it will be a one-sided breach of the agreement. We will have no choice but to continue our work without your participation,” Balla stated.
He emphasized that the Special Committee on Electoral Reform must address the recommendations of the OSCE-ODIHR, with particular focus on the full depoliticization of the electoral administration.
Balla called for an end to the ‘unacceptable’ approach, emphasizing that a country aiming for EU membership should ensure that political parties not only compete but also refrain from overseeing the vote counting process.
He emphasized the need to accelerate the vote counting and result declaration process, suggesting that the counting could potentially take place directly at polling stations.
Balla pointed out that time is running out, both in terms of the political party electoral commissions and the delays in announcing results, especially in light of the upcoming 2027 local elections.
He reminded that the electoral reform requires at least 84 votes in Parliament, while the majority aims for a deeper reform, which also includes reducing the number of deputies to 100 or 101.
Responding to the opposition’s claims about limiting freedom of speech, Balla emphasized that data from the previous session prove otherwise.
The opposition was given 48 hours of debate in the plenary, while the majority, along with the government, had 40 hours,” he concluded.
During her remarks at the Conference of Chairpersons, Deputy Speaker Klodiana Spahiu focused on issues concerning disinformation and fake news.
“Over the weekend, we were witnesses to entirely false and unfounded news that targeted the family members of the head of the Socialist Party’s parliamentary group. Despite being informed of the facts, the media outlets that spread these stories continued to circulate the misinformation propagated by Berisha and other opposition figures. What occurred is absolutely unacceptable. We need to find mechanisms that hold those who orchestrate such fake news accountable, even criminal prosecution,” Spahiu stated.
/r.e/sm/
