Erion Veliaj has made direct accusations against Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Socialist majority after Taulant Balla blocked the meeting of the Socialist Party Assembly that had been scheduled for Saturday. In his reaction, Veliaj says he has officially addressed the head of the Socialist parliamentary group with a request to establish a parliamentary inquiry commission.
Request for a parliamentary investigation
According to Veliaj’s statement, the request aims to investigate the interventions and threats that he claims were exercised against him by Prime Minister Edi Rama through the Ministry of Justice.
He is asking Parliament to verify whether state mechanisms were used to exert political pressure on an elected official, a serious allegation that, if left without institutional clarification, raises serious questions about the relationship between the executive branch and other institutions.
Accusations over the use of pretrial detention as pressure
Veliaj claims that his transfer from Durrës to Fier, as well as the conditions of his pretrial detention, were used as instruments of pressure to force him to accept the organization of protests in Tirana and resign his mandate as mayor.
These are accusations that directly touch on the use of the justice system and the administration of pretrial detention for political purposes, but at this stage they remain declarative and require full institutional verification.
Veliaj: I am ready to testify under oath
In his reaction, Veliaj says he is ready to testify under oath before Parliament, confront Justice Minister Toni Gogu, and present the evidence that he says he has.
He also asks that Prime Minister Rama be subject to the same standard of accountability, shifting the clash from an internal political debate into a direct call for an institutional investigation.
Notification to international bodies and preservation of evidence
Veliaj says he has also informed the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as well as the diplomatic corps accredited in Albania.
He also says he has requested the immediate preservation of documentary and audiovisual evidence. At the core of his position is the claim that the mandate of a mayor cannot be placed under political pressure through state means.
Veliaj stresses that he is not asking for his statements to be taken at face value, but to be investigated by Parliament.
This is precisely where the political test for the majority lies: whether it will allow a transparent verification process, or close the matter within the discipline of parliamentary numbers.