His decision to refuse a salary, or any other benefit bestowed from his seat in parliament, triggered a debate two years ago. This is the story of Erion Piciri, the former MP who also renounced benefits totaling €2,000 due to his previous status.

“I didn’t want to mix up politics with money. So I renounced the profits attributed to the status of being a lawmaker. In other words, an MP, unlike the citizens of the country, is being treated preferentially. Do they deserve it? I think not”, said the former MP.

For Euronews Albania, Erion Piciri referred to those benefits as “undeserved”.

“That’s undeserved money, which made no sense in going into my pockets. My income, together with that of my wife, doesn’t exceed €2,000 per month. On Sunday, I went to buy a new pair of shoes for my daughters. They had asked me about some specific brands and I saw that they cost around €150 or even more. I told them it’s too much, and we would instead buy them pairs that cost €20-€30. I am not a good father, my daughters ask me for expensive laptops, and I buy them used ones”, he explained.

But how did his colleagues when he put down his signature to give up any benefits?

“I am at peace with myself. When one of the parliament’s directors told me that other MPs fight to get more money for food and gas allowances, I told her that I’m not here for favors”.

Regarding what other MPs told him when they learned his decision, he responded:

“I was a loner in Parliament, I didn’t communicate much with other MPs. A well-known figure told me that he’d heard about me and agreed, but when I see the bills cutting down pensions and MP benefits, then I disagreed, he told me”.