New parliamentary session begins today/ In focus the “Territorial” and “Electoral” reforms, deputies return to the Assembly

After the end of the summer vacation, the Assembly of Albania holds this Tuesday the first session of the new parliamentary session. The plenary meeting will start at 17:00.

The return of the deputies was postponed by 24 hours, since Monday coincided with an official holiday, although according to the Constitution, the autumn session should open on the first Monday of September.

The inaugural session is expected to be mainly ceremonial. The opening will be made by the Speaker of the Assembly, Niko Peleshi, while it is not yet known whether the leaders of the parliamentary groups will also take the floor.

One of the issues expected to be processed is the decree for the new Minister of Health, Klodiana Spahiu. According to sources, the President’s document may be ready at the beginning of the proceedings.

After the decree, Spahiu is expected to be sworn in before the deputies. At the same time, the Socialist group may propose a new candidate for the position of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, a function previously held by her.

The chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, is not expected to be in the hall, as he is in the United States of America to participate in the Republican Convention. The presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama also remains uncertain.

The opening of the parliamentary session is expected to be accompanied by a protest outside the Assembly building as well. The citizens, who have protested in the square for almost 100 days, have announced that they will gather again in front of the parliament.

Faced with this scenario, the State Police is expected to strengthen security measures and set up a special perimeter for the movement of deputies.

Beyond the opening ceremony, the territorial reform is expected to be one of the main topics of political debate during the new session.

During August, the Socialists proposed revising the map of municipalities and reducing their number from 61 to 46. The initiative has deepened the clashes between the majority and the opposition, while discussions on the reform continue without a concrete conclusion.

The debate is expected to be influenced by the upcoming local elections of 2027, which will take up an increasingly larger space in the political agenda of the Assembly.

The majority has started moves to get closer to the base structures and citizens, while the opposition has announced that it will begin political preparations for the next local race.

Although the first session is expected to be formal in nature, the developments announced for the coming months show that the new parliamentary session may be accompanied by strong clashes both inside and outside the Assembly hall.