Association of Local Elected Officials: Manipulation of the Unification of Municipal Associations in Albania, a dangerous game for democracy

2025-02-27 20:06:00, Politikë CNA

Association of Local Elected Officials: Manipulation of the Unification of

The Association of Local Elected Officials, through a status on social networks, states that the process of unification of municipal associations in Albania has taken a worrying turn. This, they say, endangers democratic representation in local government.

The association's announcement states that the Network of Local Government Associations of South East Europe (NALAS) has chosen to work only with the association created by the majority. The Association of Local Elected Officials says that it has requested to join NALAS, but has not received any response so far.

Full announcement

Manipulating the Unification of Municipal Associations in Albania: A Dangerous Game for Local Democracy

The process of unifying municipal associations in Albania has taken a worrying turn, jeopardizing the essence of democratic representation in local government. The Association for Local Autonomy that

changed its name to the National Association of Municipalities of Albania, is represented only by municipalities run by the majority of the socialist party, led by Erion Veliaj, claims to represent all local units, despite the fact that the opposition municipalities have established the Association of Local Elected Officials as a separate organization, led by Fisnik Qosja.

One of the key actors in this process, the Network of Local Government Associations of South-East Europe (NALAS), has been receiving funding from the Swiss Embassy in Tirana for years, among others, to mediate and facilitate the unification of associations of municipalities in Albania. But so far, this unification has not actually happened. On the contrary, instead of engaging in an inclusive dialogue, NALAS has chosen to recognize and work only with the association created by the majority, leaving out opposition representation and creating a false reality, as if there is only one association of municipalities in Albania.

This approach is a serious violation of local democracy, excluding a large part of local elected representatives from the opportunities to represent their interests in the national and international arena. The Association of Local Elected Representatives, created by opposition representatives, has requested to join NALAS, but has not received any response so far, a fact that clearly shows the bias of this network.

The failure of a funded project to unify associations

The fact that NALAS continues to receive funding for a process that is not actually happening raises serious questions about the integrity of this network and the donors who support it. If the goal of the project was unification, why has this objective not been achieved? And if it has not been achieved, why does NALAS continue to receive funding for a failed process? How moral is it for NALAS to work in Albania for other projects funded by the European Union Delegation to

Such conditions have only brought discord between municipalities and their representatives?

This is a typical example of bureaucratic manipulation and foreign funding, where international organizations - Nalas - use excuses to continue their projects, despite not having delivered the expected results. In this case, not only have the funds failed to achieve their objective, but they have worsened the situation, deepening the divide instead of reducing it.

The dangerous bias of NALAS and its effects

The involvement of an organization like NALAS in favor of one political party is not just a technical or procedural issue, but has serious consequences for local democracy and for trust in the international institutions that fund these initiatives.

By choosing to recognize only one association and ignoring opposition representation, NALAS is setting a dangerous precedent, where international organizations that are supposed to be impartial are involved in political games, supporting the majority instead of truly supporting democracy and institutional cooperation.

This situation also damages the reputation of the Swiss embassy, ??which supported this project with the idea of ??unifying the associations, but which now appears to have funded a process that, instead of uniting, has fostered division.

If this process continues in this way, then a fundamental question arises: Is NALAS truly defending local democracy, or simply pursuing its own interests for projects and its office in Tirana and the government?

A democratic response is needed

There can be no true local representation without the involvement of all stakeholders. Any manipulation to create the idea of ??a false unification must receive democratic responses and be exposed to the public and the international community. If NALAS and its donors do not change their approach, then they must be held accountable for the damage they are doing to local democracy in Albania.

Local democracy cannot be exclusive and one-sided. All local elected officials must have the same opportunity to represent their interests – and this cannot be done through manipulation and exclusion./ CNA