Prime Minister’s commitment to Anticorruption Reform forces opposition into a corner

Prime Minister’s commitment to Anticorruption Reform forces opposition into a corner

The reform and the Special Commission established to pursue it, with the votes of the Socialist majority, are gradually becoming central dividing lines in Albania’s public debate.

Why is this relevant

The refusal to support the reform and cooperate with the Special Commission has once again highlighted the opposition’s complicated relationship with the fight against corruption, particularly as politics begin gearing up for elections.

Context

For the Prime Minister, the Anticorruption Reform stands as one of Albania’s crucial initiatives for advancing in the EU integration process. According to him, succeeding in combating corruption requires more than the efforts of new justice institutions; it necessitates a serious overhaul of the entire public administration and legal framework.

During a meeting of the Parliamentary Group, he reiterated his call for the opposition to collaborate with the majority on this initiative, which, if successful, could expedite Albania’s EU integration. The reform comes in response to one of 761 recommendations from the European Commission that Albania must fulfill to advance in its EU integration, underscoring the need for bipartisan cooperation.

In his address, the Prime Minister also dismissed the opposition’s claims that the Anticorruption Reform aims to subordinate the Special Anticorruption Structure to government control. He reaffirmed his support for SPAK and urged it to intensify efforts against corruption. Furthermore, he pointed out that his party lacks the parliamentary majority necessary to amend the constitution.

Given its frequent criticisms of SPAK, the opposition’s professed concerns about SPAK’s independence appear insincere. In recent months, the opposition has staged regular, almost daily protests related to SPAK. By day, they demonstrate in support of SPAK’s investigations and arrests of ruling majority representatives. Every afternoon, they protest against SPAK, for investigating their leader for corruption and having placed him under house arrest. They accuse SPAK, in the harshest terms, of corruption and being under government control.


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