Albanian deputies suspended as North Macedonia faces judicial crisis

In Albania, the Ethics Secretariat has suspended Democratic Party deputies Gazment Bardhi and Klevis Balliu from parliamentary proceedings for 60 days following incidents during an October 8 plenary session. The Socialist Party accused Bardhi of using offensive language and aiming water bottles at majority representatives, while Balliu was accused of throwing eggs and using a noisy device. Balliu has condemned the decision as unjust and politically motivated, claiming the first bottle was thrown by the Socialist Party and stating that the party will appeal the suspension.

In North Macedonia, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has warned of a crisis within the justice system. Citing a report from the European Policy Institute, the LDP noted that 18 of the 34 courts are inefficient and there are over 134,000 unresolved cases. The party highlighted critical issues including insufficient funding—with only 0.26% of GDP allocated to the judiciary instead of the legally required 0.8%—and the cancellation of recruitment for 130 judicial candidates due to lack of funds. The LDP also raised concerns regarding executive pressure on the Public Prosecutor's Office.