The government’s draft for a new territorial division is encountering its first resistance at the local level, highlighting the gap between Tirana’s plans and the reaction in communities. In Këlcyra, the municipal council has moved to stop the proposal to merge with Përmet, while in Klos there are calls for the final word not to remain only at political tables.
Këlcyra votes unanimously against merging with Përmet
Këlcyra’s Municipal Council has voted against the government’s proposal to dissolve the municipality and merge it with the Municipality of Përmet.
At the extraordinary meeting, all 15 council members voted unanimously against it. The vote marks a clear rejection of the draft in one of the first cases in which a local institution has openly positioned itself against the government’s plan.
Residents’ protests push local response
The decision in Këlcyra came after reactions and protests by residents of the area, who have opposed the loss of the municipality’s status.
Residents have demanded that Këlcyra continue to function as a separate unit, and this local pressure appears to have directly influenced the councilors’ unanimous position.
Call also for Përmet not to approve the merger
Municipal councilors in Këlcyra, from both the majority and the opposition, have also called on Përmet’s Municipal Council not to approve the proposal to merge the two municipalities.
This position shows that the opposition is not being presented simply as a local political clash, but as institutional rejection of a scheme that, according to reactions on the ground, is viewed with suspicion by the affected communities.
Public hearings with residents requested in Klos
Discussion has also begun in Klos on the new territorial division. According to the government’s draft, the Municipality of Klos is to be dissolved and merged with the Municipality of Mat.
Klos Mayor Valbona Kola has stated that public hearings will be held with residents in all units of the area before any decision is made.
She said her position will be in line with the will of the citizens, linking the final decision to the outcome of local consultations.
The case of Këlcyra and the open debate in Klos signal that the territorial reorganization is not expected to pass without political costs and opposition on the ground.
As proposals for new mergers face reactions from communities and local representatives, pressure on the government to justify this new map is expected to increase.