The State Intelligence Service became another flashpoint between the ruling majority and the opposition after the Socialists, in the Conference of Chairpersons, rejected the Democrats’ request for a motion with debate in Parliament. With the votes the majority holds, the request is also expected to fail in the plenary session, politically closing a debate that the opposition wants to take all the way to the prime minister.
The majority shuts the door on a parliamentary debate
At the meeting of the Conference of Chairpersons, the Socialist Party opposed the opposition’s request for a special debate in Parliament on SHISH.
The head of the Socialist parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, defended the position that Parliament cannot duplicate SPAK and should not intervene in a matter that, according to him, is already under review by the special prosecution office.
Balla: Parliament does not replace an investigation
According to Balla, no instrument of parliamentary oversight, from a motion with debate to an investigative committee, can replace or influence a criminal investigation.
He argued that the criminal responsibility of an official is an individual matter before the prosecution and the court, presenting the opposition’s initiative as an inappropriate interference in the justice process.
Opposition seeks political accountability from Rama
On the other hand, Gazment Bardhi said the opposition’s request is not aimed at steering the investigation or putting pressure on justice, but at seeking political accountability.
According to him, the issue is linked to Edi Rama’s responsibility for the appointments and to Parliament’s obligation to exercise its oversight function over the executive. Along these lines, the opposition insists that parliamentary debate cannot be replaced by institutional silence every time SPAK is mentioned.
The clash also extended to messages from Brussels
The dispute between the two sides did not remain limited to parliamentary procedure. Balla drew attention to public statements by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had praised the investigations as a sign that the system is functioning.
Bardhi opposed this approach, saying that there are international partners who, according to him, offer a reading that is not objective of the reality experienced by citizens in Albania.
The request goes to plenary, but rejection appears certain
Although the Democrats’ request for a motion with debate will go to the plenary session, the balance of votes makes the outcome appear almost predetermined.
In practice, this means the majority not only controls the parliamentary agenda, but also sets the limit on how far political debate is allowed to go when the issue touches sensitive institutions and high-level responsibilities.
The clash once again highlighted the conflict between the logic of parliamentary oversight and the political shield the majority raises whenever an issue is linked to investigations by SPAK.
The opposition wants to present the issue as a test of government accountability, while the majority is closing it with the argument that justice should be left to act on its own.