At the Conference of Speakers held this Tuesday in the Albanian Parliament, debates were held between the chairman of the Democratic Party Parliamentary Group, Gazment Bardhi, and the chairman of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla.
During his speech, Bardhi accused the Speaker of the Assembly, Niko Peleshi, of violating the Rules of Procedure and the Constitution, claiming that the last parliamentary session was closed unfairly.
"What you did with the last session is a violation of the Rules of Procedure and the Constitution. I am quoting it here: 'He requested the interruption of the session because he was discussing procedure. Mr. Peleshi, you have taken it upon yourself to lead the Assembly. If the Assembly is led by the group leader, tell us, because the opposition has no place in an Assembly that is dictated by the forces of cardboard,'" said Bardhi.
He continued by denouncing, according to him, the influence of organized crime in the Parliament.
"I understand that in that Assembly there are deputies who get their strength from organized crime and think they can silence others. Forget it! We do not take orders nor are we dictated to by organized crime," said Bardhi.
In reaction to these statements, Taulant Balla demanded that the opposition respect the rules and ethics during parliamentary debates.
" Please, do not distort what we say. I repeat to you that when you speak, no one listens to us. You should do the same, " said Balla.
Regarding proposals to launch debates or requests for motions, Balla emphasized that they must follow the procedures provided for in the regulations.
" There was a proposal from Mr. Bardhi to start the debate. Before we enter, we have some requests for motions for debate. These requests are clearly defined in the regulations: the pros and cons are presented and finally, after that, the vote ," said Balla.