Albania’s Territorial Reform to Cut Municipalities to 46

territorial reform municipality merger Albania Socialist Party local government

The governing Socialist Party of Albania has unveiled a draft reform that would reduce the country’s 61 municipalities to 46 by merging 15 of them. The plan creates a new administrative unit called a “city” within each municipality and lists specific towns slated for consolidation, such as Dimal, Poliçan, and Përrenjas.

Opposition parties have reacted strongly. Democratic Party leader Eno Bozdo in Berat condemned the proposal as a maneuver to reshape the electoral map, while former Democratic Party chief Sali Berisha argued that Albania should retain at least 100 municipalities to improve services and curb population growth. Residents of Poliçan staged a protest, burning Socialist Party flyers and demanding that their municipality remain independent.

A Council of Europe report on local governance warned that Albania’s public services are overly centralized and recommended further decentralisation rather than reducing the number of municipalities. The government, however, maintains that many local units lack the capacity to deliver services on their own.

Entities

Albania · Albanian Government · Albanian Parliament · Council of Europe · Democratic Party of Albania · Local municipalities · Sali Berisha · Socialist Party (PS) · Socialist Party of Albania

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Former Prime Minister Sali Berisha advocated for a minimum of 100 municipalities in Albania to improve services and curb population growth. zhurnal.mk
[DISPUTED] The Socialist Party of Albania proposed a territorial reform that would reduce the number of municipalities from 61 to 46 by merging 15 municipalities. javanews.al · www.vizionplus.tv
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Socialist Party’s draft lists the municipalities Fushe‑Arrëz, Klos, Rrogozhinë, Dimal, Poliçan, Patos, Divjakë, Selenicë, Maliq, Këlcyrë, Memaliaj, Libohovë, Cërrik, Belsh and Përrenjas for merger javanews.al
[○ 1 SOURCE] A Council of Europe report warned that Albania’s public services are overly centralized and recommended further decentralisation rather than reducing municipalities. rrugapress.al
[○ 1 SOURCE] The proposed reform includes creating a new administrative level called “city” inside each municipality.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Residents of Poliçan protested the planned merger of their municipality, burning Socialist Party flyers.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Democratic Party leader Eno Bozdo opposed the Socialist proposal to reduce municipalities, saying it serves only electoral interests. 24-ore.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Albanian government argued that some municipalities lack capacity to administer services independently. rrugapress.al