Territorial Reform: Cërrik Municipality Launches Public Consultation, Doka Says Decision-Making Must Be Guided by Community Needs

Cërrik Municipality has officially launched a public consultation on the draft law on Administrative-Territorial Reform, which proposes reducing the number of municipalities in Albania from 61 to 46. The process will last 60 days and gives citizens the opportunity to express their views and proposals on the new territorial map.

Cërrik Mayor Florenc Doka announced the launch of the consultations in a social media post, calling on residents to participate actively. According to him, the reform is directly linked to the community’s future and should not be treated merely as a political clash.

Doka said that on August 3, 2026, Cërrik Municipality received official letter No. 3573, dated July 31, 2026, from the Albanian Parliament. The document formally launched the 60-day public consultation period on the draft law on Administrative-Territorial Reform.

Meetings with residents are expected to be held in the city of Cërrik and across all administrative units within the municipality in the coming days. Information on the dates, times and venues of the meetings will be published soon.

According to the mayor, the discussion should not be limited solely to whether Cërrik Municipality will continue to exist as a separate unit. He stressed that the focus should be on the tangible benefits that any new territorial model could bring to residents.

Doka wants citizens to be fully informed before expressing their opinions. For this reason, the consultations should include clear questions and answers regarding the reform’s impact on everyday life.

Among the issues Cërrik Municipality intends to put up for discussion are whether its continued existence as a separate unit could ensure greater economic development, more investment and higher-quality services, as well as the tangible benefits residents could receive if a different organizational model is implemented.

The consultations will also address how Cërrik would be represented in decision-making bodies, the allocation of public funds and investment, and whether the new units would be granted broader powers or whether the changes would remain purely administrative.

“This is not a consultation about the fate of a mayor. It is a consultation about the future of our community,” Doka said, calling for the debate to be conducted calmly, respectfully and responsibly.

The mayor invited residents to attend every meeting, raise their questions, submit proposals and listen to the arguments of all sides. He guaranteed that Cërrik Municipality’s official position at the end of the process would be drafted based on citizens’ views and voices.

Meanwhile, the local administration will continue operating normally throughout the consultation period. “We have 500 tasks to complete,” Doka wrote, stressing that the reform would not hinder ongoing investment or the provision of services to the community.