The Albanian Parliament held a session on Thursday amid heightened tensions and physical clashes between deputies of the \u201cReestablishment\u201d Group, part of the opposition in Albania, and members of the Republican Guard at the entrance of the Parliament.<\/p>\n
The cause of the physical clashes was the attempt by 13 excluded deputies from this group to forcibly enter, declaring that they do not recognize the decision of the Ethics Committee of the Albanian Parliament.<\/p>\n
The Committee has excluded 13 deputies \u2013 Gazment Bardhi, Sali Berisha, Flamur Noka, Edi Paloka, Albana Vokshi, Elda Hoti, Ervin Salianji, Bledion Nallbati, Asllan Dogjani, Lefter G\u00ebshtenja, Isuf \u00c7elaj, Luan Ba\u00e7i, and Xhelal Mziu \u2013 due to the chaos they created in previous sessions.<\/p>\n
They ignited flares and clashed or used various means against the employees of the Guard and Government cabinet ministers.<\/p>\n
The Guard did not allow them to enter the session, leading to clashes, during which the main door\u2019s glass of the Parliament was broken.<\/p>\n
The excluded deputies tried to enter through the second door but failed, while debates with majority deputies who wanted to participate in the session were not lacking.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, other opposition deputies, who were not subject to punitive measures, underwent strict checks by Guard personnel to prevent the entry of illegal items such as flares, sprays, or other pyrotechnic devices, as happened in previous sessions.<\/p>\n
However, some of them managed to smuggle flares into the hall, which they ignited as soon as the session began.<\/p>\n
The Parliament session began amid the noise of some opposition deputies hitting tables, calling for the cancellation of the session.<\/p>\n
The Speaker of Parliament, Lindita Nikolla, announced the withdrawal from the agenda of the migration agreement signed between Albania and Italy, following the Constitutional Court\u2019s decision to suspend it, pending a final decision.<\/p>\n
Guard members were positioned not only in front of the ministerial seats, as is customary in tense situations, but also on both sides of the Parliament, separating majority deputies from minority ones.<\/p>\n
Under the sound of ignited pyrotechnic devices and deliberately created noise by minority deputies, the Speaker of Parliament put to a vote the changes proposed by Socialist Party deputies to the Parliament\u2019s Rules of Procedure.<\/p>\n
These changes provide for the tightening of punitive measures against deputies who cause such situations. The maximum punishment will no longer be exclusion for 10 days but up to 60 days.<\/p>\n
After the session, which lasted only seven minutes, opposition deputy Gazment Bardhi said that the new Parliament Rules will be sent to the Constitutional Court.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the head of the Socialist Party\u2019s parliamentary group, Bledi \u00c7u\u00e7i, stated that the changes in the Rules of Procedure are entirely normal.<\/p>\n
\u00c7u\u00e7i cited the example of Italy, emphasizing that in such situations, deputies there are excluded for 15 plenary sessions.<\/p>\n
Sali Berisha, the head of the Re-establishment Group of the Democratic Party, stated, \u201cThis opposition is the terror of Edi Rama, who, as a solution, has decided not to allow any opposition deputy to enter Parliament. This is a complete takeover of parliamentary control by the Guard. But today, by Edi Rama\u2019s order, they have chosen to block every true opposition deputy in parliament,\u201d he told the media.<\/p>\n
Berisha emphasized that, \u201cuntil the overthrow of this regime, the opposition\u2019s resistance will not be interrupted\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call for disobedience, all of Albania in civil disobedience against this regime,\u201d said Berisha.<\/p>\n
Asked by journalists if there would be a hunger strike, Berisha said, \u201cThat and any act are decided by the opposition, when it considers it necessary and effective\u201d.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party, Gazment Bardhi, announced that they would send the approval of the new regulations of the Parliament to the Constitutional Court.<\/p>\n
According to Bardhi, they will not comply with the new changes to the Parliament\u2019s Regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey approved changes that conflict with the Constitution of Albania. Today\u2019s decision to suspend the mandates of opposition deputies will be sent for review to the Constitutional Court. Besides taking it to the Constitutional Court, we will not comply with their rules,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n
Bardhi also welcomed the decision of the Constitutional Court to suspend the agreement with Italy on migrants.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find the opportunity to greet this belated decision of the Constitutional Court, to examine this unconstitutional decision that conflicts with this agreement of the Constitutional Court,\u201d Bardhi said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Socialist MPs also approved the draft laws \u201cOn the ratification of the loan agreement between the Republic of Albania and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, for the financing of the project Climate Resilience and Agriculture Development\u201d, \u201cOn some additions and changes on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances\u201d, \u201cOn the account of payments for basic services\u201d, and \u201cOn some additions and changes on international coercive measures in the Republic of Albania\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Albanian Parliament held a session on Thursday amid heightened tensions and physical clashes between deputies of the \u201cReestablishment\u201d Group, part of the opposition in Albania, and members of the Republican Guard at the entrance of the Parliament. The cause of the physical clashes was the attempt by 13 excluded deputies from this group to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":63715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153],"tags":[270,1311,361,319,387,305,150,243,151,3432,389,570,343,1753,293],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n