Zhupa Opposes Socialist Party Draft: Territorial Reform Serves the Party-State; We Defended Konispol and Delvinë

Democratic Party MP Ina Zhupa opposed the Socialist Party’s proposal for territorial reform, saying it is driven by electoral calculations rather than citizens’ needs. She said the document aims to reorganize and merge four of the six municipalities administered by the opposition: Memaliaj, Puka, Fushë-Arrëz and Kavaja.

According to Zhupa, the initiative is not accompanied by a clear assessment of how services would be improved, while consultation with communities and local government, as well as transparency, have also been lacking. The MP stressed that the new map should be drawn up based on economic development, functional links between local units, access to public services, administrative efficiency and citizens’ interests—not according to the majority’s political objectives for the elections.

In her full response, Zhupa said territorial reform is being turned into a tool that serves the electoral interests of the party-state. She described the draft submitted today by the Socialists as one-sided because, according to her, the determining criterion is not related to development or the quality of services, but to electoral calculations.

Zhupa said it could not be considered a coincidence that Memaliaj, Puka, Fushë-Arrëz and Kavaja—four of the six municipalities led by the opposition—are slated to be merged and regrouped. In her view, the lack of analysis, consultations and transparency shows that the sole aim is to tailor the map to the majority’s political interests.

She also said that the strong public reaction and sustained pressure from all stakeholders made it possible to defend the municipalities of Konispol and Delvinë. According to the MP, both municipalities had been marked in red for merger in the Socialists’ initial report. Zhupa added that this was a real plan, halted only after it was exposed in time, and not a media fabrication, as she said attempts had been made to portray it.