Selenica Opposes Merger with Vlora, Bellaj: We Meet the Criteria to Remain a Separate Municipality

This Saturday, in a Facebook post, Selenica Mayor Nertil Bellaj responded to proposals to merge the local government unit with the Municipality of Vlora as part of the new administrative-territorial reform.

Bellaj rejected a statement by Socialist Party MP Ardit Bido, who claimed that Selenica residents had themselves expressed a desire to join Vlora.

The mayor described the position as a “stab in the back” for the community and as damaging citizens’ trust in their representatives.

He insisted that Selenica meets the legal, economic and historical criteria to continue operating as a separate municipality.

“Dear residents of the Municipality of Selenica,

The many messages and phone calls, the position expressed by community representatives in support of the Municipality of Selenica, as well as MP Bido’s statement, make it necessary for me to once again publicly state my position on the new administrative-territorial reform.

MP Ardit Bido’s claim that ‘Selenica itself wanted to join Vlora’ is untrue and has caused great disappointment among residents of this area. Claiming to speak on behalf of a community without asking it constitutes a blow to the trust citizens place in their representatives. For many Selenica residents, this statement was seen as a stab in the back, precisely at a time when support for the area’s interests was expected, rather than positions that call them into question.

I want to make this clear: no one can take it upon themselves to decide or speak on behalf of the Municipality of Selenica. The will of the residents cannot be replaced by anyone’s personal wishes or convictions.

My position has been and remains the same: Selenica must remain a separate municipality. This stance does not stem from personal or administrative interests, but from my duty to the citizens, history, identity and extraordinary potential of this municipality.

During the hearing held before the Parliamentary Committee on Administrative-Territorial Reform, I presented clear, fact-based arguments demonstrating that the Municipality of Selenica meets all the conditions required to continue as a separate local government unit. Its territorial size, number of villages, natural resources, economic opportunities and the work of the local administration show that this municipality has the necessary capacity to continue its development.

The voice of the citizens must be heard and taken into consideration. Selenica’s future cannot be determined by false statements, but by the will of the community and its best interests.

I am confident that the voice of the residents of the Municipality of Selenica will be heard and viewed favorably by the MPs of Vlora County and the Parliament of Albania,” he wrote.