Agron Gjekmarkaj: Flames Are Scorching Albania and Bringing Down the Government’s Propaganda; the State Does Not Control the Territory

Democratic Party MP Agron Gjekmarkaj has reacted strongly to the situation caused by the wildfires across the country. He accuses the government of no longer having the territory under control and of lacking a serious plan to prevent and respond to emergencies.

In his statement, Gjekmarkaj highlights the lack of equipment and capacity within the emergency services, linking the situation to corruption, clientelism and institutional incompetence.

According to the Democratic Party MP, the flames are reducing forests, land, homes and property to ashes, while the government’s response relies mainly on statements and propaganda.

He stresses that the fight against wildfires does not begin only after they break out, but requires investment and preparatory measures throughout the year.

In his statement titled “The Fires Are Scorching Albania and Its Propaganda, as Well as Another Government ‘Success,’” Gjekmarkaj says the executive has not exercised control over the territory for years.

According to him, this becomes most apparent in the response to wildfires, which burn forests, land, homes and property every summer.

He says that, in the absence of a functioning mechanism for prevention and intervention, the state mainly confines itself to recording the number of fires and the damage they leave behind. Then, according to him, everything is left to “fate.”

Gjekmarkaj says the country lacks equipment, capacity and, above all, a genuine strategy for preventing and managing wildfires.

In this situation, according to him, the government has set the wrong priorities: considerable funds are allocated to questionable purposes, while the emergency services remain weak and unprepared.

According to the Democratic Party MP, the wildfire crisis should not be viewed as a phenomenon confined to a single season, but as a deep-rooted and persistent problem directly linked to corruption, a lack of vision and weak institutions.

He claims that the territorial reform, rather than improving administration, brought more failures, amateurism and political clientelism. According to him, this has encouraged people to leave rural areas and has left ever-larger parts of the country’s territory outside effective state control.

Gjekmarkaj also criticizes what he calls a propaganda-driven response instead of serious action. He says politicians, from their offices or holiday destinations, publish statements and symbolic social media posts to give the impression that they are taking action, while the situation on the ground remains dire.

He argues that wildfires cannot be fought only after they break out. Prevention, according to him, must be developed throughout the year through continuous investment in forest maintenance, clearing high-risk areas, opening access roads, guaranteeing water supplies, providing modern equipment and strengthening firefighting services.

According to Gjekmarkaj, a serious state does not stop at calculating the consequences but funds measures to prevent them. He says the opposite is happening today, as the flames are destroying not only forests and property, but also the propaganda intended to cover up the failure.

In conclusion, the Democratic Party MP describes the situation as evidence of a painful reality: the state does not fully control its territory and remembers its citizens only after disaster has struck. According to him, a morally scorched government is burning Albania.