Territorial Reform and the “Besa” Document, Rama Meets with Regional Political Leaders

Edi Rama arrived at the Socialist Party headquarters early in the morning, where the prime minister is holding a meeting with the regional political leaders.

The meeting is expected to be brief because of Rama’s busy schedule and the parliamentary plenary session taking place this Monday.

According to Euronews journalist Eksiola Shehu, territorial reform is expected to be among the main topics of discussion. The Socialist Party and the Democratic Party failed to reach a consensus on drafting a joint report to be presented to Parliament.

The Socialists have submitted their report on the reform, but the document does not include a new configuration of the territorial map. Because of the situation in Parliament and the opposition’s blocking of the rostrum, the report was not presented at Thursday’s plenary session.

Shehu said the Socialist Party is expected to use the legal provision allowing an MP or a group of MPs to propose legislative amendments. In this case, the changes would target the law on local self-government.

The proposal for territorial reorganisation is expected to be submitted during the new parliamentary session. The majority considers it certain that the country will not enter the 2027 elections with the current division of 61 municipalities.

The Socialists’ position provides for the dissolution of several small municipalities and their merger with larger units within the same region. One of the criteria mentioned is that municipalities with fewer than 12,000 residents should no longer operate as separate units.

The reorganisation is not expected to include municipalities belonging to different regions. Such a move would require constitutional amendments and a qualified majority of 94 votes in Parliament.

The strategic document “Besa” is also expected to be discussed at today’s meeting between Rama and the regional political leaders. The prime minister presented it a few days ago during a joint meeting of the government and the Socialist parliamentary group.