Prime Minister Edi Rama, during his first speech in parliament today, also had a warning for the opposition, which he called advice. According to him, if the opposition continues with noise and tensions, the majority has no choice but to come to the session to vote on the laws and leave.
"I will tell the minority that it is none of our business what you do outside this hall, but in this hall you will have our attention and all the time you want if you forget to use your body, hands and feet as an argument and the noise and knocking over tables with your hands as an alternative. In the opposite case, our presence here will last as long as a voting process. Keep this in mind", Rama said.
And in fact, this is what happened a few minutes after this warning. After the speech of virtual minister Diella, the opposition caused a commotion in the hall and that was enough for Peleshi to implement what the prime minister said, closing the discussions on the program and moving directly to the vote.
The majority seems to be serious about this practice, given that the Prime Minister's warning was also repeated to the media outside the Assembly hall by the Minister of State, Toni Gogu. In his speech, Gogu tried to emphasize that Parliament is the opposition's space and that the majority is determined to guarantee parliamentary debate, but warned that if the situation degenerates, then the Socialist Party will not participate in sessions that turn into an arena of clashes.
"The Assembly belongs to the opposition, we have come because we have an obligation to the Albanians who voted for us. The parliamentary debate is at the center of the Assembly and we will ensure it. We will ensure that the opposition has all its space. If you say that the opposition flouts the Constitution and shows signs of verbal and even physical violence... We were there, we were ready to stay until tomorrow, if our colleagues come with muscle power and threaten the prime minister and the cabinet, we will not even be present. See you later," said Gogu.
A clear message to the opposition
The statement of the Prime Minister and the Minister can be considered as a coded message to the opposition, implying that the majority will no longer tolerate scenarios with smoke bombs, podium blockages or attempts at physical confrontation with members of the government. At the same time, Gogu tries to present the majority as the party that guarantees normality and dialogue, shifting the burden of responsibility for any incident to the opposition.
Gogu's statement comes as a signal that the majority seeks to put a limit on this phenomenon, even suggesting a boycott of the sessions if scenes of violence appear again.
The end of clashes or a tactical move?
The question remains about this statement: is this a serious warning that the majority will withdraw from any physical clashes in the Assembly, or a political maneuver to expose the opposition as the cause of the parliamentary crisis?
At a time when the country is entering another election cycle and tensions are inevitable, it remains to be seen whether this message marks a turn towards calming parliamentary life or is just an element of the usual political rhetoric.
