In a meeting held yesterday with local officials, the leader of the opposition, Edi Rama, declared that the country is facing a series of serious problems that require deep and structural reforms.
One of the first issues raised was that of drinking water. “Despite reported improvements, the situation calls for a thorough and comprehensive reform,” said Mr. Rama, proposing the creation of a National Water Authority modeled after the OSHEE (Electricity Distribution Operator). He called the lack of water at the peak of the tourist season unacceptable, while citizens are forced to fill washbasins as they did in the 1990s.
Healthcare was also a central focus. Rama said that citizens no longer demand just medicine, but high-quality medicine, and according to him, this requires a profound reform of the pharmaceutical system.
He then turned to fuel, pointing out the paradox that Albanians pay more than most countries in the region, without receiving fuel of comparable quality. Rama proposed that the state intervene in the hydrocarbon market to protect consumers and control quality.
But according to him, the most serious and unacceptable problem remains waste management and illegal construction. He demanded the immediate resignation of several directors and deputy mayors, accusing local governance of complicity in breaking the law.
The meeting concluded with a direct political call:
“Berisha must resign,” Rama said, emphasizing that “he has been in power since the distant year of 2013, and if he hasn’t solved the problems of water, waste, legalization, fuel, medicine… in his first, second, and third terms, there is absolutely no chance he’ll solve them in a fourth.”
