Albanian Parliament rejects Democratic Party's 100-municipality proposal

The Albanian Parliament's Law Commission has rejected a proposal by the Democratic Party (PD) to divide the country into 100 municipalities. The opposition requested that their territorial map be reviewed alongside a competing proposal from the Socialist Party (PS).

Ulsi Manja, representing the Socialist Party, argued against the PD initiative, stating that the proposed two-month consultation process would delay a vote until late November. This timeline would prevent the new territorial division from being implemented in time for the upcoming local elections.

The Democratic Party accused the majority of conducting a superficial consultation process, claiming the number of municipalities had already been predetermined by the Prime Minister. Following the rejection of the opposition's request, the commission proceeded with hearings regarding the Socialist Party's draft, which proposes dividing the country into 46 municipalities. That draft is expected to be voted on in the coming week.