The opposition Democratic Party (PD) has abandoned the second session of the Albanian Parliament.
PD Chairman Lulzim Basha clashed with Speaker of Parliament Lindita Nikolla over the session’s agenda.
A deputy from the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) asked that the session be interrupted, as none of LSI’s four MPs had be included in one of the eight parliamentary committees that oversee the drafting of laws.
Taulant Balla, leader of the Socialist Party’s parliamentary group, agreed to the request. He asked that the establishment of these committees be postponed, given also that the PD had assigned one individual MP to two different committees.
While the PD had originally accepted LSI’s request, they abandoned the session after Balla’s declaration. A spokesperson for the PD said that the PS is attempting to undermine PD’s presence in parliament.
Based on today’s agenda, Parliament was supposed to establish its administrative bodies, as well as elect their respective chairs.
The Socialist majority will chair five of the eight standing committees, while the rest will be headed by the opposition.
Each committee is made up of several MPs, its membership allotted in proportion to each party’s number of seats in parliament.
In general, an MP cannot belong to more than one standing committee. While there are exceptions, each additional membership should be allocated while maintaining proportionality.
