The Territorial Reform Commission received the studies of three
organizations for the changes of the local government territories.
“Shtetiweb”, moderated by the former Socialist Party Parliament Member, Ylli Bufi, suggests reducing the country to 88 local units, twice more than what the government had foreseen, based on the approved criteria. “Shtetiweb” reaches this conclusion by saying that fewer local units would create problems between them. This proposition goes against another criteria of the government, which starts the division based on a district.
But more than the number of local units, this meeting discussed more about the districts. The proposition of “Shtetiweb” for districts is reducing them to five or seven.
The question that has been discussed mostly was if it is enough to reduce the number of districts to make them effective, without interfering in competences and the way how their leaders are selected, matters that affect the Constitution.
“I am not being held hostage of the opposition, which doesn’t want reforms. But when the people has given me the votes for 84 seats in Parliament, I will make this reform and even address to the people with a referendum. I would ask them: “do you want the district and these 70 municipalities? Let’s make a referendum and ask the people’s agreement”, declared the co-chairman of the Commission, Bashkim Fino.
The debate about the districts started on another presentation too, the “CO Plan” study, which was focused only on the districts. The first option of this study was dividing the country in four big districts with historic, economic and cultural ties, or in six districts, based on the river paths.
The Swiss Organization for Local Government studied the division in functional areas, a proposition that was loaned by the government. This divides the country in five districts and in 18 to 24 functional units.
These propositions will be discussed when the government will bring the variants of the new territorial division, from which the final one will be decided.
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