TIRANA, Albania – Democratic Party Presidency member Ilir Alimehmeti has sharply criticized the government's proposed territorial changes, arguing that they risk further centralizing political power while weakening access to public services for citizens.
 |
| Democratic Party official Ilir Alimehmeti gestures during a television interview while criticizing the Albanian government's proposed territorial changes, warning against further centralization of power. |
According to Alimehmeti, the main objective of the new territorial changes is not greater administrative efficiency, but greater centralization of power for electoral and political purposes.
Alimehmeti: "With bigger municipalities, efficiency is falling"
Alimehmeti argued that the 2015 reform was justified at the time on the grounds that larger municipalities would be more efficient, better able to secure funding and capable of providing improved services.
However, he said the results have not supported that argument.
"With enlargement, our efficiency is not increasing; it is falling," Alimehmeti said.
He pointed to the performance of Tirana Municipality as an example, claiming that the capital has struggled to execute its planned capital and investment expenditures, while the number of people employed in municipal administrations has increased significantly.
According to Alimehmeti, this raises a fundamental question: if the country's largest municipality cannot demonstrate greater efficiency, why should further consolidation be expected to produce better results?
"Services should be as close to citizens as possible"
Alimehmeti said the debate should not simply focus on whether Albania needs more or fewer municipalities.
The central question, he argued, should be how close public services are to citizens.
He criticized the government's approach of consolidating institutions and administrative structures, comparing the territorial changes with what he described as similar centralization in education, healthcare, courts and cadastral services.
"The principle is very simple: services should be as close to people as possible," he said.
According to Alimehmeti, reducing the number of municipalities can force citizens to travel farther to access basic administrative services that could otherwise be provided locally.
Criticism of Socialist mayors opposing the changes
Alimehmeti also criticized several Socialist mayors who have recently opposed the proposed changes affecting their municipalities.
He argued that some mayors have raised objections only after learning that their own municipalities could be merged or abolished.
According to him, such opposition is motivated more by personal and political interests than by a broader concern for local government and citizens.
Alimehmeti questioned why these mayors had not challenged the shortcomings of the territorial system earlier, including through public hearings, lobbying, negotiations or financial oversight.
He argued that opposing the reform only at the final stage is not sufficient.
"The last-day protest is the very last thing," Alimehmeti said, arguing that political and institutional opposition should have started much earlier.
"The 2015 reform should have been tested"
Alimehmeti said the government should first conduct a comprehensive assessment of the 2015 reform before introducing another territorial restructuring.
He argued that such an assessment should examine whether the reform actually improved services, reduced administrative costs and increased efficiency.
Instead, he said, the government appears to be continuing with the same approach by creating fewer and larger municipalities, despite what he described as evidence that the previous model has failed to deliver the promised results.
The PD representative also accused the government of pursuing an increasingly centralized model of governance, warning that continued concentration of decision-making could weaken local democracy and accountability.
A political debate over Albania's local government map
The proposed territorial changes have opened a broader debate over the future of local government in Albania, including the number of municipalities, administrative efficiency and the accessibility of public services.
Alimehmeti's position is that the issue should not be reduced to a simple question of how many municipalities Albania should have.
Instead, he argues that any new territorial map should be judged primarily by whether it improves services, increases efficiency and keeps decision-making closer to citizens.
The government's final territorial proposal and the political debate surrounding it are expected to determine whether Albania moves toward further administrative consolidation or a different model of local governance.
The statements and allegations in this report reflect the views expressed by Ilir Alimehmeti and are presented as political claims. They do not constitute independently established facts.