The Democratic Party, Puka branch, has decided to raise the flag of the fight against nepotism. Not in any large municipality, not in any institution with budgets of millions of euros, but in the Municipality of Puka – where family ties seem stronger than any legal article.
In a request to the Central Election Commission, the Pukë Democratic Party (PD) is seeking legal interpretation for several municipal councilors, asking whether they are in a conflict of interest due to the positions held by their family members in the local administration. In short: is it a coincidence or an organizational model that local government functions like a family business?
The cases presented are significant:
• Gjon Gjoka, Mayor of the Municipality Council – meanwhile his wife is a Specialist in the Financial Management Directorate. So, one controls, the other manages. A family with a clear division of roles.
• Enver Sulejmani, Deputy Mayor of the Council – his wife holds the position of advisor to the Mayor. Advice circulates within the family, before going to the office.
• Ndue Lala, advisor – his son is an Administrator of an Administrative Unit. The new generation does not wait for their turn; they enter the administration directly.
According to the DP, these hirings were made after these people received their mandate as municipal councilors. The question addressed to the CEC is simple: do we have legal incompatibility or simply family compatibility?
Essentially, the request is for a “legal justification.” But between the lines, another debate is read: is the local government in Puka a public institution or a structure where the surname weighs more than meritocracy?
The DP Pukë says it is awaiting the CEC's response. Until then, it remains to be seen whether we will have a legal clarification... or another confirmation that in local politics, conflict of interest is often confused with "family interest."
