TIRANA, Albania — For months, Albanian opposition parties have used flares and noise to disrupt Parliament, in protest at what they describe as the authoritarian rule of the governing Socialist Party.
On Thursday, lawmakers passed the annual budget and other draft laws, despite opposition claims that the left-wing Socialists have blocked the establishment of commissions to investigate allegations of government corruption.
The disturbances started in October just before prosecutors accused Sali Berisha, 79, former prime minister and president and now the main leader of the center-right Democratic Party, of corruption over of a land-buying scheme that’s under legal investigation in the capital, Tirana.
Opposition parliamentarians regularly pile up chairs, use flares, start small fires and even physically grab microphones when their Socialist counterparts take the floor.
The governing Socialists, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, hold 74 of the 140 seats in Parliament, enough to pass the 2024 budget in an eight-minute vote and then close the session.
The opposition pledges to step up its fight until its right to establish investigative committees is accepted.
The disruption in Parliament may be an obstacle to much-needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU. Last year, the bloc agreed to launch membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. After 18 months of vetting, Brussels said Albania is ready to take the next step and begin negotiating specific chapters.
Democratic lawmakers throw flares during a parliament session in Tirana, Albania, Thursday Dec. 7, 2023. The Albanian Parliament on Thursday passed the annual budget and other draft laws in a disrupted vote from the opposition using flares and noise to protest against what they consider as an authoritarian rule from the governing Socialist Party. Credit: AP/Armando Babani
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