“We cannot pretend we do not live in Albania,” PD after the Conference of Chairpersons: Protesters’ demands should be reviewed in Parliament

Gazment Bardhi, head of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group, said the parliamentary majority had rejected the opposition’s requests to hold debates in Parliament related to the protest and citizens’ concerns.

According to him, the Democratic Party does not seek to speak on behalf of the protesters, but to bring their concerns and problems to Parliament, which, as he said, require serious institutional treatment.

“The PD has listened to and assessed the concerns of the citizens who have been protesting on the boulevard for 26 days. It is a known fact that the protests have drawn the attention of several European parliaments; the only parliament that has paid no attention to the concerns of the citizens in the square is that of our own country.

With full responsibility, the PD has submitted a request for an urgent interpellation with the Prime Minister regarding citizens’ concerns, has submitted a motion for debate on the role Parliament should play in addressing citizens’ concerns, and has submitted a motion for debate on the latest European Parliament resolution, which sets out the ‘homework’ within the framework of the integration process.

This should have been our work plan, but all three requests were rejected in the Conference of Chairpersons, without any argument and with their claim that we are trying to become the protesters’ spokespersons. At no point have we claimed to become spokespersons for the protests, but we cannot behave as if we do not live in Albania, and for this reason we asked for a debate in Parliament,” Bardhi said.

He added that discussions of this nature are held in European parliaments and other international institutions, while pointing out that Albania’s Parliament is overlooking this situation.

“Such a debate has taken place in the European Parliament, in the German Bundestag, and we cannot behave as if the protests and the citizens do not exist. All three requests are legitimate and are recognized by Parliament’s Rules of Procedure,” he said.

Earlier, PS parliamentary group leader Taulant Balla said the majority does not accept the Democratic Party and Sali Berisha as representatives of the protesters. According to him, the opposition has transformed the protesters’ demands, because, as he says, they were different from those presented in Parliament.