New opposition coalition reshapes local authorities

TIRANA, April 17 – The new pre-electoral coalition recently created between the main opposition Socialist Party of Edi Rama and the smaller Socialist Movement for Integration Party of Ilir Meta is trying to reshape the makeup of the authorities in the town halls and communes around the country.
It is expected that will totally reshape many of the local authorities and also resolve many still disputed issues.
They started earlier this week when the group of the Socialist and SMI council members at Tirana city hall made a request to replace the Municipal Council head Njazi Kosovrasti of the governing Democratic Party. On Wednesday they offered the name of their group leader, Aldrin Dalipi, instead.
The new coalition has enough votes to implement the change.
SMI was before, until earlier this month part of the governing coalition of the Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha. These numbers may change in many districts around the country.
What seems of particular importance if the Fieri district, where together they do have the numbers to give an end to a long-disputed friction between the Socialists and the Democrats.
The opposition Socialists had long set the solution of the Fieri district dispute as a preamble for the signing of the three remaining laws required along the path of integration into the EU at this moment. The dispute started two years ago when the Socialists claimed they did have the numbers to run the district, something which was not accepted by the Democrats, who had also the support from the SMI at the time.
The dispute has continued since then with many trials and court verdicts but it is yet to be finalized.
Now that can be over and the post goes with the opposition, who has the required numbers to take any clear decision.