Lajme flash
The electoral arithmetic of reform
2026-10-11 14:11:00 / IDE
Editorial from Monitor.al/ Another change to the territorial map is being imposed on Albania, with the reduction of the number of municipalities from 61 to 46, but more than an analysis of the needs of citizens and the efficiency of services, the debate so far has focused on administrative boundaries and political representation.
The risk is that the reform, which should improve local governance, is turning into another exercise in electoral arithmetic, while the costs of the transition are paid by citizens.
The 2014 reform reduced the number of local units from 373 to 61 municipalities, with the argument that larger units would have greater financial capacity, more professional administration, lower costs, and better quality services.
But experience showed that in addition to the increased fiscal burden on citizens, public services for citizens deteriorated further, especially in rural areas. The new problems caused the population to move abroad or to larger urban centers.
Instead of the debate on the second reform starting from the defects created by the first reform, the focus shifted to the number of municipalities that should remain and those that should be merged.
Political and electoral calculations are weighing more heavily than the need for services, as administrative boundaries determine the distribution of votes, representation on municipal councils, and political control over local units.
For this reason, any map change must be based on transparent analyses that prove public benefit, not just general arguments about efficiency.
If the merger of two or three municipalities is economically reasonable, this must be proven with figures, which was missing from the majority platform.
The reform document approved by the Assembly did not include any information on how much the administration would save, how much revenue collection would improve, how much per capita investment would increase, how much it would cost to provide services in the most remote areas, and above all, how long citizens would have to bear the costs of the transition!
This transition is one of the least discussed aspects of the reform. The merger of municipalities does not end with the name change, as the merging units have different budgets, financial obligations, contracts, administrative structures, local fees, and management systems.
Their unification takes a lot of time and money. Another problem is the integration of financial systems, registries, archives and digital platforms. Without prior preparation, administrative change can lead to delays in documentation, permits and other services that citizens and businesses receive from local government.
Public investments may also face a period of uncertainty, as the municipalities that will merge have approved projects, contracts in implementation, procurement procedures, and financial commitments.
The transfer of these responsibilities requires institutional coordination, as otherwise, there is a risk of delays in the implementation of investments, precisely in the territories that need infrastructure the most.
Administrative experience suggests that such a transition may require two to three years to stabilize, depending on the preparation and resources made available.
The rush for the new reform further questions its implementation, given the fact that the 2014 reform has not yet been fully implemented. More than a decade later, fiscal and administrative decentralization remains unfinished, municipalities continue to have powers that are not accompanied by sufficient financial resources, while the promise of better quality services closer to citizens has not been fulfilled.
In the absence of these elements, the suspicion that the reform is driven by political calculations and not by the interests of citizens becomes difficult to avoid, risking that the latest reform will superimpose a new transition on a reform that is still unconsolidated and that, above all, will not succeed in improving services to citizens, on the contrary, it may encourage a new wave of departure, mainly from rural areas.
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