In an interview with News24, Democratic Party MP Belind Këlliçi commented on the 60-day suspension of six opposition MPs, including himself, from parliamentary proceedings.
He stressed that parliament cannot function normally while students are protesting against the government and being subjected to police violence. He reiterated the position expressed by the Democratic Party parliamentary group during the session in support of the students, calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation, a technocratic government and parliament’s dissolution.
Të lidhura
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“It issued the decision that had been expected since yesterday, to suspend six MPs, stripping them of their mandates for 60 days. In fact, that amounts to three months, taking into account the date it took effect, the appeal we will lodge with the Bureau, and the fact that the winter recess is ahead and parliament resumes work on the third Monday of January. That means the six MPs, myself and five other colleagues, will return to parliament in the third week of January because we took a firm stance yesterday. Since the parliamentary group leader has been suspended, I spoke on behalf of the Democratic Party. We once again set out the students’ demands, called for the prime minister’s departure, the formation of a technocratic government based on the North Macedonian model, and the dissolution of this parliament, because its existence serves no purpose. At the end of my remarks, we asked for the agenda to be changed so we could discuss young people’s problems, and we brought photographs documenting the savage violence against them,” he said.
He stressed that many young people had been brutally assaulted, adding that some of those hit by rubber bullets had undergone surgery.
He also stressed that the Socialist Party had tried to avoid the debate, arguing that there could be no questioning of the interior minister on other issues while Tirana was gripped by protests and violence against young people.
“There can be no normal parliamentary session while students and minors are being brutally beaten and unlawfully arrested. Their legs and bones are being broken, and they are being hit in the body with rubber bullets. Some protesters have undergone surgery because of the bullets, and even today there has still been no response or apology from the interior minister, the police or the prime minister. In fact, the prime minister has encouraged this violence by promising 2500 euros. Faced with this, how can we go ahead with a normal session and questioning on security matters concerning other issues rather than what is happening now? This is an attempt to avoid the debate and present an image of normality in parliament. Yesterday we called them sheep because that is how they behave. They have no opinion, no political stance and no arguments. They just raise their voting cards,” he said.
