The debate over judges’ salaries moved to the Parliament chamber this evening, where the majority is awaiting a vote on an increase based on the figures proposed by the government. In the middle of the discussions, Prime Minister Edi Rama also appeared in Parliament, a move that gives this initiative greater political weight.
Rama enters Parliament during the session
Prime Minister Edi Rama arrived at Parliament while the plenary session was under way and MP Toni Gogu was at the podium.
Shortly after entering the chamber, Rama left it. According to reports from Parliament, he is in the institution’s internal premises waiting for the moment of the vote.
Focus on the pay increase for judges
The issue under discussion is the law on raising judges’ salaries, a decision with a direct impact on public finances and on the relationship between politics and the justice system.
According to the government’s proposal, approval of this law requires 84 votes in Parliament. As of the evening hours, the session was still continuing and the vote was expected to take place later.
The political weight of a sensitive vote
Rama’s presence in Parliament on the eve of the vote makes even more visible the importance the majority attaches to this initiative.
Although the discussion has been presented as a legal and financial matter, the decision remains deeply political, as it is linked to how the government chooses to redistribute public funds and the message it sends to the justice system.
At this stage, it remains to be seen whether the majority will secure the 84 votes needed to pass the version proposed by the government.
The plenary session was still under way at the moment Rama was staying inside Parliament’s premises, waiting for the vote.