Harsh debate has taken place in parliament as governing and opposition parties accuse each other of manipulating crime figures for political gain
TIRANA, March 12 – Albania’s political opposition has accused the government of failing to protect citizens from crime following what it says is an increase in criminality, including the use of explosives in acts of targeted killings.
The accusations were made in parliament earlier this week during a session in which Prime Minister Edi Rama had been asked to report in an official hearing on the situation of crime in the
country by opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Jozefina Topalli.
Rama, Topalli and other lawmakers were involved a tough debate, blaming each other for the perceived rise in crime taking many lives across the country. The current government says the data shows the crime situation in the country is no worse than when the previous government was in power. The opposition, which ruled the country until last September, says the current government has failed Albanians in its law and order duties.
A matter of perspective
Prime Minister Edi Rama said the crime figures in the country have actually decreased, while promised further improvements.
Topalli, on the other hand, said the country is a state of uncertainty, accusing the prime minister of manipulates crime figures.
“The order and security in the country are in a desperate state. The situation is uncertain for protecting citizens’ life and property. No one feels safe,” Topalli said in parliament. “Albanians wake up in the morning and all they hear about are TNT explosions, murder and loss of life from traffic accidents.”
Rama responded that his government had improved the law and order situation, finding law enforcement institutions in a poor state with several officials having ties with crime.
Rama added the opposition was playing a political game with crime figures, misinforming the public. He said from September until the end of February compared with the same period the previous year, the number of murders had been lowered, more wanted people had been arrested and there had been an increase in the amount of drugs seized.
The opposition also accused the government of hurting police effectiveness by firing hundreds of police officers for political moves, something Rama rejected.
“From mid September 2013, when we took over the government, to the end of February, 378 police officers were let go, while in September 2005 up to 2006, when you (the Democrats) got to power, you fired 1,003,” Rama said in parliament.”
The prime minister also spoke about the use of TNT in targeted killings as a disturbing phenomenon, but he added it had started under the previous government.
“It’s a very problematic phenomenon with which are dealing. It appears in these six months as a new disease, but it has existed as a serious problem before then too,” Rama said. “Look at the figures in 2013. Of 87 cases of use of explosives,
60 of them occurred between January and September, while the rest until December.” Topalli said the prime minister’s response had been “shameful.”
“Mr. Prime Minister, you have no connection with reality, with what is happening.Your language is the language TNT,” said Topalli, the former speaker of parliament.
It was just one of several harsh exchanges during a tense hearing in parliament.
Albania’s parliament is used to harsh political debate between the two main political groupings in the country – the leftist Socialist-led coalition of Prime Minister Edi Rama and center-right main opposition Democratic Party of Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha.
Since Basha himself is not a lawmaker, someone else usually leads the Democrats in the debate, including former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who this time was not present for the debate, leaving the opposition’s leadership role in parliament to the former parliament speaker, Topalli.
Changes to the penal code, amnesty are approved
In addition to the hearing on law and order, Monday’s parliamentary session also dealt with some important changes to the Penal Code dispositions on the illegal possession and trade of weapons and explosive devices.
The legislators also discussed a proposed amnesty that would release hundreds of prisoners from Albania’s overpopulated prisons. The amnesty is needed, the government says, because country’s prisons and police holding centers are sheltering 1,000 more people than they were designed for.
Both proposal were passed unanimously by the leftist majority of the Socialists and their Socialist Movement for Integration ally. The Democrats boycotted the votes.
Opposition to hold partial boycott of parliament
The boycott of voting in parliament is part of a larger trend. The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party leader Basha said that the Democrats had decided to have a conditioned relation with the parliament to protest what he said were unconstitutional and unilateral moves by the governing coalition.
Under the conditional relationship, Democratic Party lawmakers will go to parliament only to speak against the governance of the governing Socialist Party-led majority of Prime Minister Rama
— but refuse to take part in any votes.
That is a step back from the previous warning of also a possible boycott of the parliament, but still a worrying sign of lack of political consensus in the country, of the type required to further the country’s EU integration efforts, analysts say.
As they did in the most recent session, the Democrats will likely go to parliament session at their openings and during the free debate hour, using it as an outlet to denounce the government. They will also take part at the debate of any draft law. But when it comes to the voting process, they leave the floor, boycotting it. Such move will not have any effect on the passage of new legislation as the Socialists and their allies won 84 out of the 140 seats in parliament in the last election.
But the Democrats say they want to make a point, retaliating for a decision of the parliament to fire Zana Xhuka, the head of the public officials’ wealth audit institution, which Democrats consider as meddling in independent institutions and a violation of the constitution.
Political parties in Albania have a history of saying they fully support the integration process of Albania, while boycotting votes on legislation aiming to facilitate such progress, bending only from strong pressure from Brussels on certain laws required in the process.
Currently the Democrats are taking a page from the script of their rivals, the Socialists, who were in opposition until last year, boycotting parliament on a regular basis, claiming electoral fraud.
