Elfete Ismaili of the Alliance for Albanians: Stoilković’s conduct in Parliament unacceptable, must be punished immediately

Elfete Ismaili, who represents the Women’s Forum of the Alliance for Albanians (ASH), has strongly reacted against the conduct of MP Ivan Stoilković during the latest parliamentary session. She described it as a display of arrogance and contempt that undermines the foundations of a healthy democratic culture.

Below, we publish her full response:

“What we saw yesterday in Parliament from Ivan Stoilković—conduct filled with arrogance, contempt and irresponsibility—is something that should not be viewed as ordinary. It is an intolerable act that highlights a repeated pattern of behaviour, in which rational debate is replaced by insults, provocations and attempts to escalate the situation. When an elected official goes so far as to engage in verbal confrontations using derogatory language, especially toward a woman, this demonstrates a complete lack of respect not only for his colleague, but also for the institution he himself represents and for Parliament as the country’s highest legislative body.

These displays of hate speech must not go without consequences; they deserve appropriate punishment. For this reason, we call on the responsible institutions—the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor’s Office—to act as swiftly as possible, enforcing the law without any delay.

The element that makes this case even more alarming is that a woman was the target of verbal aggression. No woman should be subjected to such degrading language because of her political activity. Respect for women is a value unrelated to political affiliations; it remains a fundamental principle that must never be abandoned.

A genuine democracy is not strengthened through insults and threats, but through a culture of dialogue and mutual respect. The moment insulting words take the place of arguments, the political climate suffers serious damage and a destructive signal is sent to every woman considering involvement in public life.

The way Stoilković speaks and acts conveys the image of a politician firmly convinced that there will be no consequences for his actions. It is precisely this sense of impunity that fuels arrogance and encourages him to repeat such conduct.

The Government and other institutions have a duty to respond firmly and without hesitation to every form of insult and hate speech. Remaining silent or downplaying such cases does not serve the protection of democracy; on the contrary, it creates the illusion that such actions are silently accepted. The stance against any verbal violence or humiliation of women must be consistent, regardless of the political beliefs of the victim or the perpetrator. Dignity, equality and mutual respect are not subject to party affiliations, but constitute the fundamental pillars of a society that must be continuously protected,” she stated.