"We will not become part of the association led by Veliaj"/ Statement of the Association of Local Elected Officials

2025-02-11 21:06:00, Politikë CNA

"We will not become part of the association led by Veliaj"/ Statement

The Association of Local Elected Officials expressed concern today that a false perception is being created about the representation of municipalities in the country.

In a statement to the media, the Association shared the information that opposition municipalities are not part of this campaign.

The association has called for transparency in the representation of Albanian municipalities and called on international organizations and donors not to fall prey to this manipulation and to ensure that their funds are not used to favor a one-sided structure.

"Manipulation of representation at the local level: Opposition municipalities are not part of the "National Association of Albanian Municipalities""

The Association of Local Elected Officials expresses its deep concern regarding the efforts to create a false perception about the representation of municipalities in Albania.

We inform the public and international partners that the "Association for Local Autonomy", which until now has exclusively represented majority municipalities, has changed its name to the "National Association of Albanian Municipalities" (January 2025), through a unilateral decision and without consensus.

This action is an attempt to create the idea of ??a unifying organization, when in reality it continues to represent only one political wing, that of the socialist party.

The opposition municipalities and our elected officials in 61 municipalities are not and will not become part of this association led by Erion Veliaj.

This maneuver consists of:

- An attempt at public and international manipulation, creating a facade of inclusion that does not exist in reality.

- An attempt to concentrate resources and international support on just one association or group of municipalities, to the detriment of balanced, fair and democratic representation.

We invite the media and international partners to be attentive and demand transparency in the representation of Albanian municipalities.

We also call on international organizations and donors not to fall prey to this manipulation and to ensure that their funds are not used to favor a one-sided structure.

"The Association of Local Elected Officials remains committed to a transparent, inclusive and fair local government, where every municipality has an equal voice," the statement said. /CNA