TIRANA, Aug 6 /ATA/ The co-chair of the Administrative-Territorial Reform Commission, Luçiano Boçi, said on Thursday that the opposition is considering all options to challenge the reform, including an appeal to the Constitutional Court and an initiative to hold a referendum.
Boçi told the media that the reform was drafted in violation of the Constitution and existing legislation, bypassing the procedures required by law.
Boçi said the reform could be challenged before the Constitutional Court and overturned if the alleged constitutional breaches are confirmed. He accused the authorities of bypassing legal procedures and failing to respect constitutional provisions, including rules on local self-government and public consultations, to push the reform forward.
Boçi said the opposition would seek support from international partners for its referendum initiative.
He said the opposition would engage with international institutions, including the European Union and the US Congress, to gain backing for the referendum. Boçi acknowledged that holding a referendum is challenging, noting that previous attempts had failed, but argued that the law was designed in a way that makes referendums difficult to organize. He added that with political will, a solution could be found, and said the opposition would approach the Central Election Commission (CEC) to request a decision on the matter.
Boçi said the new territorial division proposed by the Socialist majority was driven by political and electoral interests.
Boçi said the proposed territorial map was politically motivated, citing several municipalities as examples. He argued that the merger of Pukë with Fushë-Arrëz, Librazhd with Prrenjas, and the inclusion of Selenicë into the wider Vlora area were aimed at altering the political balance. He also claimed that the incorporation of Belsh into Elbasan was driven by electoral considerations rather than administrative needs.
Through an instruction, the Democratic Party (PD) called on its local councillors to support protests against the Socialist Party’s proposed territorial map and to work with left-wing councillors to reject it in every municipal council.
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