Erion Veliaj’s decision to dismiss Anuela Ristani has opened a debate that goes beyond the name of a single official. At the center is not simply the breakdown of a working relationship, but a much more serious issue for the administration of the capital: who actually made the decisions at the Municipality of Tirana during this period.
Delegation of powers, not a transfer of authority
Veliaj legally remains the Mayor of Tirana, while Anuela Ristani was not elected to replace him, but had been granted powers through delegation. This is precisely where the core of the debate begins: administrative delegation is not the same as surrendering political and institutional authority.
If an administration functions outside the authority of the person who holds the mandate, then the issue is no longer limited to an individual dismissal. It touches the very chain of decision-making in the country’s largest local institution.
Veliaj’s claims raise serious doubts
In his order, Veliaj speaks of a systematic lack of information and coordination, failure to implement his instructions, and a progressive detachment of the administration from the mayor who, at least formally, continued to hold the mandate.
If these claims are accurate, then this is an institutional problem that cannot be closed with the removal of one person. The question that arises is who exercised the real authority inside the Municipality and on what basis this was done.
Who was deciding for Tirana, and in whose name?
The questions arising from this case are direct: who gave the instructions at the Municipality of Tirana, who set the priorities, to whom did the administration report, and who made the operational and political decisions during this period?
If, according to Veliaj’s version, the mayor’s orders were not being implemented, then it remains to be clarified who had the authority to decide on their non-implementation. This is no longer a matter of internal communication, but a straightforward issue of control over the institution.
At stake are the budget, contracts, and administration of the capital
The debate cannot be reduced only to political relations among well-known names in the majority. The Municipality of Tirana administers the largest local budget in Albania, public contracts, permits, property, investments, and services that directly affect hundreds of thousands of citizens.
For this reason, transparency is not a political luxury, but an institutional obligation. If there has been a real shift of power inside the Municipality, the public has the right to know how the capital has been run, which decisions were made, and by whom real authority was exercised.
At this stage, the issue does not appear to end with the name of the dismissed official.
The central question remains larger and more troubling for the city: who really held the reins of the Municipality of Tirana?