The Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party (PD) will not participate in Tuesday’s plenary session in Parliament, describing it as an illegal session convened in open violation of the Rules of Procedure of the Albanian Parliament, as it was called outside the normal day for sessions (Thursday).

In a post on his Facebook page, the head of the PD parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, said that this is not a normal parliamentary session, but rather “a meeting called for the personal agenda of the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament, without any approved or officially announced agenda, and in violation of the minimum procedures guaranteed by the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament.”

“A parliament without an agenda, without debate, and without the opposition’s right to speak is no longer a parliament, but a decoration for government propaganda. It becomes a personal shop that does not serve the public interest.

Instead of addressing the real problems of citizens and exercising oversight over the government, Parliament has been turned into an anti-democratic instrument serving the Prime Minister, obstructing justice in the investigation of corruption and becoming a serious obstacle to Albania’s full membership in the European Union.

For this reason, the opposition refuses to become part of this parliamentary façade tomorrow and chooses instead to be where every responsible opposition should be: close to the citizens.

Our priority this week remains meeting citizens across the country and mobilizing for the March 22 protest. Because Albania’s real problem today is a government that has turned into a national threat. Therefore, the opposition is determined to stand with the citizens and lead the battle for change, a fight with zero tolerance for corruption, and responsible governance in the service of citizens,” Bardhi’s statement concludes.