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'State in one hand': Rama's order to dismiss administrators is awaited with concern
2025-07-12 00:11:08 / POLITIKË
"The heads of the Socialist Party, all heads of administrative units, must be dismissed and given the opportunity, along with others, to show how capable they are," Rama addressed the mayors elected during the 2023 local government elections.
This public statement by the Prime Minister comes in the wake of other acts in recent days, where in several important municipalities in the country he has requested massive dismissals of directors in order to relieve citizens of responsibility for problems with public services.
Once again, Rama's statements have been met with concern by local government experts and the opposition.
Agron Haxhimali, director of the Institute for Albanian Municipalities, told BIRN that these statements by the prime minister should not be ignored, because the separation of powers guaranteed by the Constitution and law is being violated.
He appeals to municipalities, their Representative Associations and civil society to react in defense of local autonomy and the separation of powers, "requesting legal clarifications on the basis of this ultimatum and emphasizing the need for depoliticization of local administration."
Haxhimali also emphasized that the associations of municipalities "must seek an institutional response from the Ombudsman and the Parliamentary Committee on Local Governance, as well as address the issue at the level through cooperation networks."
The National Association of Municipalities, which includes only mayors of municipalities led by the Socialists, has not reacted to the prime minister's behavior, while the mayors elected under the SP banner have implemented his public orders.
The Association of Local Elected Officials, which includes opposition mayors, calls the prime minister's behavior deeply concerning and "an unacceptable practice."
"The Constitution of Albania guarantees local autonomy as one of the pillars of the functioning of local government, while the law on local self-government clearly defines the competencies, bodies and accountability mechanisms within local government units. Any intervention by the central executive power in the internal administrative affairs of municipalities violates this autonomy and constitutes a violation of the principle of separation of powers," it said in a statement published at the start of Rama's round of dismissals in the country's municipalities.
The head of the group of opposition councilors in Tirana municipalities, Ilir Alimehmeti, also told BIRN that these successive acts by the prime minister show that he is seeking to centralize every kind of power.
"It is centralizing the state in one hand," he said, accusing the socialist mayors of "being parties to the capture of the state in one hand in violation of the law and the Constitution."
Alimehmeti finds the mayors' lack of reaction and their insistence on implementing verbal orders that directly interfere with their legal powers worrying.
During Friday's meeting, the prime minister also criticized the functionality of water supply companies dependent on these municipalities and warned of their centralization in the central government, which, according to Agron Haxhimali, would undo all the legal reform that has been made for their decentralization.
“This not only contradicts the principles of local self-government, but also overthrows the regionalization reform undertaken just two years ago,” he said, adding that “instead of strengthening the capacity of municipalities and regional enterprises, it is moving towards centralization.” /BIRN/
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