Opposition councilor from former President Meta’s party tries to disrupt meeting of Tirana City Council
The last meeting of the Tirana City Council for the summer was disrupted today by the violent actions of an opposition councilor, belonging to the Party of Freedom, led by former President Ilir Meta.
Why is this relevant
The councilor’s violent actions are not an isolated incident. In recent years, as its numbers and power have dwindled dramatically, the opposition represented by Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party and Ilir Meta Freedom Party is resorting more and more to acts that are meant to disrupt the political process and create tensions in the hope that such acts will either energize whatever is left of their supporters or force the Socialist majority to offer concessions.
Context
The meeting was disrupted when the opposition councilor tried repeatedly to interrupt Mayor Erion Veliaj’s speech, at one point throwing a stack of papers at him. Moments later, amidst the uproar, he unsuspectedly lashed out physically and hit another councilor, a former member of parliament, who has previously filed a lawsuit against the councilor’s party leader Ilir Meta in SPAK for which Meta is currently being investigated. The lawsuit accuses Meta and his former wife, of active and passive acts of corruption, asset concealment, tax evasion and dereliction of duty and is actively being investigated.
The Mayor of Tirana condemned the disruption and attributed the councilor’s actions to Ilir Meta. He accused them of being unable to accept “the success of Tirana and the colossal loss of their small party” and highlighted the importance of the Council’s agenda, which included significant initiatives such as opening two new nurseries, providing free student passes, approving Ecole 42 for youth education, establishing the Technology and Development Zone for Tirana, an economic free zone that is expected to create 5,000 new jobs, and accepting a grant from Qatar for the new Boulevard Square. He also called for strict enforcement of the law to ensure “thuggery receives the response it deserves” and prevent Tirana from being held hostage by such actions.
Meta responded angrily, declaring that the Party of Freedom is now “at war” with Mayor Veliaj and woved that the Mayor will soon receive a “deserved democratic and Albanian response.”
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