The Socialists have submitted to Parliament the draft law for a new administrative-territorial division, a move with a direct impact on the map of local government. According to the version presented by the PS, the number of municipalities falls from 61 to 46, while 28 municipalities are consolidated into 13 new units.
What the draft submitted to Parliament предусматриes
According to the draft made public, the new structure will consist of 46 municipalities, 71 constituent towns and 387 administrative units. The model keeps the municipality as the only unit of local self-government, with one mayor, one council, one administration and a single budget.
Under the Socialists’ formulation, 13 municipalities with about 225,000 residents in total will merge with neighboring municipalities. Local governance is thus presented in a more concentrated scheme, while it remains to be seen how the impact on local representation and on services for communities that lose their current status will be justified in practice.
Counties affected and those left unchanged
In Tirana County, under the bill, Tirana remains unchanged, while Kavaja and Rrogozhina merge into a single municipality. The draft also creates the administrative unit of Rinas, which joins the Municipality of Tirana and includes the airport territory and the economic zone around it, through the villages of Rinas, Bërxullë and Domje.
Lezha and Kukës remain unchanged under the proposed version. In Shkodër, Puka merges with Fushë-Arrëz, while in Dibër, Klos merges with Mat.
In Berat, the number of municipalities is reduced from five to three: Berat merges with Poliçan and Dimal, while Kuçova and Skrapar remain separate. In Elbasan, Përrenjas merges with Librazhd, while Elbasan itself expands to include Belsh and Cërrik; Peqin and Gramsh remain separate units.
Fier also undergoes changes: according to the plan, Fier merges with Patos, while Lushnja takes in Divjaka. In Gjirokastër, Tepelena merges with Memaliaj, Përmet with Këlcyrë, and Gjirokastër with Libohovë. In Vlorë, a merger with Selenicë is envisaged, while in the southeast the merger of Maliq with Korçë is proposed.
Special cases and the official reasoning
According to the draft, the model was built by taking into consideration distances, the presence of minorities, geographic continuity, road access and the identity features of the territories. It is precisely on this reasoning that several municipalities treated as special cases are left untouched.
On the list mentioned by the Socialists are Pustec, Finiq, Dropull, Tropojë, Has, Skrapar and Konispol. These units are preserved despite financial and demographic indicators, showing that the criteria used are not being applied equally in every case.
Representation of areas merged into larger municipalities
One of the most sensitive points remains the representation of towns and units that merge with larger municipalities. According to the PS, the solution will be a quota system, under which each municipality that is consolidated is expected to have a set number of members on the municipal council of the new unit.
The official version presents this formula as a guarantee for protecting local interests. However, the draft opens a clear political and administrative debate, especially in areas where there has been public opposition, as in the case of the merger of Përrenjas with Librazhd.
The bill puts on the table another major revision of the local map, with consequences that go beyond administrative boundaries and affect the balance of representation, control over local budgets and the political weight of communities.
At this stage, what is known is the version presented by the Socialists; the real debate begins with how these mergers will translate into services, representation and public accountability.