Massive Protest in Prrenjas Against Merger with Librazhd: Residents Demand Municipality Be Preserved

The possibility that Prrenjas Municipality could be dissolved and become an administrative unit under Librazhd Municipality has sparked widespread opposition throughout Prrenjas.

The backlash began following statements by Arbjan Mazniku, chairman of the Administrative-Territorial Reform Commission, regarding this scenario. Within days, residents, former mayors, former MPs, municipal councilors and community representatives united against the idea.

According to them, Prrenjas represents more than an administrative unit, as it has its own history, traditions and development potential. For this reason, residents oppose the loss of its municipal status.

Many residents have also expressed their views on social media, opposing any initiative that would merge Prrenjas with Librazhd.

Alongside the public reaction, a petition has been drafted and signed in Prrenjas. The document has received the support of hundreds of the municipality’s residents, who are calling on the government and the Administrative-Territorial Reform Commission to abandon the idea.

The issue was also discussed at the latest meeting of the Prrenjas Municipal Council. Councilors asked Mayor Nuri Belba to provide clarification about the information made public and the municipality’s official position on the proposal. They stressed that the community expects transparency and the protection of the municipality’s interests.

The largest show of opposition came on Tuesday evening, when hundreds of residents gathered in the center of Prrenjas for a nonpartisan protest. Calling for the protection of the city’s identity and future, protesters demanded that the municipality not be dissolved and that it continue to operate as an independent local government unit.

Participants said the cause was civic, not political. According to them, preserving Prrenjas Municipality is in the common interest of all residents, regardless of their political affiliations.

Former mayors, former MPs and prominent local figures have also spoken publicly against the merger with Librazhd. They argue that such a decision could affect Prrenjas’s institutional representation, the administration of public services and its economic development.

Residents said the petition would be forwarded to the responsible institutions. They have not ruled out further protests if the proposal to merge Prrenjas with Librazhd remains part of discussions on the new administrative-territorial reform.

Prrenjas Municipality ranks 31st among Albania’s 61 municipalities by population, with more than 20,000 residents. It falls within the category of medium-sized municipalities that meet EU conditions and standards for operating as a municipality in its own right. Meanwhile, half of the country’s other municipalities have fewer than 10,000 residents, while some do not reach 15,000 residents.