Surprises rarely happen in Albanian politics, but one of them happened in Fier: SP and DP councilors combined their votes to elect the new mayor of the Municipal Council.
With 41 councilors present in the hall, the council voted for Melsi Bogdani as the new chairman. The process began after the socialist group submitted a motion to dismiss the incumbent chairman, Antoneta Çunaj, demanding her resignation.
Çunaj avoided a vote on dismissal by submitting an irrevocable resignation, while announcing that she would continue to remain on the council as an advisor. She also opposed holding a secret ballot to elect a successor.
After the request was verified by the Mandates Commission, a vote was held for the new head of the council. Bogdani was elected by a majority of ballots, receiving not only the votes of the socialists, but also the support of the DP councilors. Only former chairwoman Çunaj voted against.
In his speech after the election, Bogdani praised the work of his predecessor and said that the Fier Municipal Council will enter a new phase of operation.
But what remains most unusual in this story is the fact that the majority and local opposition voted in unison, creating a joint majority for the leadership of the council.
