The Democratic Party has decided not to recognize parliamentary committee meetings held online, going openly against the decision passed on Thursday by the Assembly.

The largest opposition party in Albania insisted that MPs should physically attend the meetings.

The Socialists opposed this stance, using the pandemic as one of its main reasons. However, the head of SP’s parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, asserted that physical attendance will only be required for topics of particular interest.

According to the DP, parliamentary committees are a crucial element of parliamentarism and recalled that the online practice fails to “meet the demands of the people”, “run counter to the Parliament’s regulation”, and aim to avoid “confrontations with the opposition”.

The Democrats also discussed their approach to the territorial reform ahead of the local elections due in 2023.

The opposition has been against the territorial reform, calling to add more municipalities and administrative units.