Op-ed: Show-off early campaign promises spell trouble for taxpayers

Albania’s ruling Socialist Party is opening taxpayer-funded state coffers for large show-off projects ahead of the parliamentary elections in June, leading to concerns among taxpayer advocates and opposition representatives who say the funds could be put to better use. The official campaign period begins a month ahead of the parliamentary elections of June 18, however, both the ruling and opposition parties have already hit the campaign trail. This week, there was a presentation of the plan for the construction of 17 new schools in Tirana, part of the government’s ambitious $1 billion project, which aims to revive the country’s infrastructure,…