Bardhi accuses the ruling majority of state capture, Balla mocks the opposition: A good start with the passage of our bills

The first session of the parliamentary term was marked by a verbal clash between the leaders of the parliamentary groups, Gazment Bardhi of the Democratic Party and Taulant Balla of the Socialist Party.

The head of the Democratic Party’s Parliamentary Group, Gazment Bardhi, said that the ruling majority would continue passing Edi Rama’s government laws, which, according to him, have led to the looting and plundering of Albania.

“A new parliamentary session should begin with a discussion of what we can do better for Albanians in the coming months. But this Parliament has been reduced to a point where there is no longer any doubt that the ruling majority will continue to blindly vote for Edi Rama’s laws aimed at looting and plundering Albania,” Bardhi said.

He added that the parliamentary majority would also support Rama’s program for an Albania devastated by corruption, organized crime and money laundering, describing the opportunities of honest citizens as having been “burned” by the votes of the MPs.

“For 13 years, you have acted in this way. This majority, under the leadership of Edi Rama, has legalized the capture of the state and the plundering of Albania,” said the head of the Democratic Party’s Parliamentary Group.

According to Bardhi, the ruling majority continues to refuse to implement the Constitution’s provisions on the balance and oversight between the branches of government, as well as the decisions of the Constitutional Court. He also accused it of refusing to repeal laws that, in his view, enable Edi Rama to appropriate hundreds of thousands of square meters of public property for the benefit of specific clients, organized crime and businesspeople who launder drug and corruption proceeds.

Bardhi also accused the government of using the strategic investments law to give Rama the opportunity to make 2.1 million square meters of state-owned land in the country’s most beautiful areas disappear for private interests.

Referring to statements made the previous night by former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, Bardhi said that, based on information he has possessed for years as one of Edi Rama’s close associates, Ahmetaj had presented Albanians and international partners with a map of state capture.

“Edi Rama makes the decisions, while his people, sometimes under the name Gys Agasi and sometimes under the name Ron Jefet, conduct the deals,” he said.

According to him, state-owned companies serve to transfer public assets and money to selected private individuals, while the justice system punishes an occasional subordinate but does not touch the person running the scheme, Edi Rama.

“This map also includes a mechanism without which these deals would not have the power of the state: your vote. You passed the law that created KAYO and assigned a single state-owned company control over the production and trade of weapons, ammunition and military technologies,” Bardhi said.

In his speech, the head of the Socialist Party’s Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, responded ironically to the opposition’s statements, saying that it would continue voting for the bills proposed by the ruling majority.

“At the beginning of the session, tradition requires each parliamentary group to present its objectives. I am pleased that you have followed our proposals and those of Prime Minister Rama with such attention, convinced that you will vote for them. This is a good start, with the opposition committed to supporting the ruling majority’s bills,” Balla said.

He then presented the Socialists’ objectives for the new session, focusing on “Besa” and “Loyal Presence.”

According to Balla, “Besa” is not merely a word, but encompasses trust, empathy, service and commitment—four principles that should guide every communication with citizens.

He said that citizens want to be heard, to know who is dealing with their concern, where the matter stands, why it has been delayed and when they will receive an answer.

Balla explained that “Loyal Presence” would be neither a party meeting nor an event where politicians speak and citizens listen, but rather a format in which Socialist representatives would listen to citizens.

“Every Friday at 5:00 p.m., in every area of the Republic of Albania, the heads of the Socialist Party will be present to listen to citizens. Not to tell them how much work we have done, nor to make promises, but to communicate with people and listen to them. The party does not run the state, and an MP does not broker favors. An MP, dear colleague, operates under the Constitution and the law,” Balla concluded.