The process of setting the date for the 2027 local elections has entered the formal consultation phase, but the political clash has begun before the table has even convened. President Bajram Begaj has invited the parliamentary parties and parliamentary group leaders, while the SP has confirmed its participation and the DP has chosen to publicly reject the invitation.
Begaj starts consultations, legal deadline closes on November 6
The President of the Republic has invited political parties for consultations on Friday, October 30, as part of determining the date of the local elections in spring 2027.
The invitation was sent on Tuesday to parties represented in parliament and the heads of parliamentary groups. After these meetings, the Head of State must issue the decree by the November 6 deadline, in line with the provisions of the electoral code.
SP accepts the invitation, DP rejects it
The Socialist Party announced that it will take part in the consultations called by the President. On the other side, the Democratic Party has rejected the invitation and described the start of this process as an act with no political value.
Gazment Bardhi, speaking on behalf of the opposition’s position, called it “political theater” and said the President’s invitation is dismissible. According to him, the real debate should be tied to guarantees for free and fair elections.
Balla attacks the opposition and calls for participation at the table
From the majority, Taulant Balla confirmed the SP’s participation in the discussions and called on the opposition to sit at the table. He argued that consultation with parties on the election date is a procedure followed by every president.
In his reaction, Balla also used ironic language toward the DP, calling it a “warehouse of Molotov cocktails” and saying the opposition should “come to its senses.” This harsh political language has pushed the clash even further, while the institutional process for the election date is being presented by the sides with entirely opposing interpretations.
When the election date must be announced
Under the legal rule, the election date is announced by the President nine months before the end of the current mayoral mandate. For this reason, November 6 is the final deadline for the presidential decree.
The local elections must be held on a Sunday, within the period from April 15 to May 15, 2027. Consultations with the parties do not change this framework, but they show the level of political tension that has accompanied the electoral process from the outset.
The opposition’s refusal and the majority’s acceptance place this round of consultations in a familiar climate of political confrontation, where even a formal procedure is being used as ground for messages of strength and mutual delegitimization.
In the end, the date will be decreed by the President within the legal deadline, but the debate over election standards appears to have begun long before the campaign.