Prime Minister Edi Rama held a marathon meeting with about 20 mayors and leaders of the Socialist Party in the regions, where the focus was on the reorganization of the country’s territorial map.
The meeting, held at one of Kuç’s restaurants in Vlora, lasted more than four hours. The proposal to reduce the number of municipalities from the current 61 to 46 local units was also discussed.
The meeting was also attended by mayors who lead municipalities which, according to the new project, are expected to merge or merge with larger units.
Sources indicate that one of the strongest clashes during the discussions was with the mayor of Poliçan, Adriatik Zotkaj. The municipality of Poliçan is one of the units that risks losing its municipal status in the framework of the territorial reorganization.
The issue has previously caused strong reactions in the city. In a protest against the merger of the municipality, some Socialist Party supporters publicly burned their membership cards, expressing dissatisfaction with the political force that, according to them, was not taking into account the support given over the years.
Adriatik Zotkaj has been the head of the Municipality of Poliçan since 2004 and has won six consecutive local government elections.
The protest, and especially the burning of the SP cards, was harshly criticized by Prime Minister Rama, who at the time described the act as “shameful.”
The territorial reorganization is expected to continue to cause debate among local leaders and communities, while the final decision on the new map of municipalities remains to be determined.