Albanian Activists Mark 63rd Day of Protests Against Municipal Mergers

Demonstrators gathered in front of municipal buildings in a dozen Albanian towns and cities Friday for the 63rd consecutive day of protest against a new round of municipal mergers. The demonstrations began in mid-autumn as a sparse gathering of local activists and have grown into one of the most sustained anti-government campaigns in the country’s post-communist history. Protesters carried banners that read 'They are selling Albania for their own interests,' referring to what they describe as a secretive redrawing of local boundaries that concentrates power in the hands of a few. The movement now demands a full halt to the consolidation plan, a transparent public consultation process, and the release of government studies behind the proposal.

Background: Albania’s Territorial Reform

Albania's current municipal structure was created in 2015, when a reform backed by international donors cut the number of municipalities from 373 to 61. The government at the time argued that many of the old communes, some with populations under a thousand, could not sustain basic administrative staff or put forward viable development projects. Today, however, critics say that reform concentrated power in larger towns and left villages without local representatives, a complaint still cited during the current protest.

The newly proposed mergers go further. Leaked draft maps seen by local media suggest scores of additional municipalities would be folded into bigger regional centers, and several small coastal towns would become districts of larger cities. The government briefly confirmed that technical proposals exist but has not shared them with municipal councils. Activists say they have been asking for official documentation since the first day of protest and have received no reply. This lack of transparency has turned a dry administrative issue into a moment of democratic crisis.

The Protest Movement: 63 Days and Counting

Protests started in a small town in the south, where the local mayor discovered through a colleague that his municipality was to be dissolved. Within a week, rallies spread to neighboring towns. Now daily actions are coordinated through a decentralized network of local committees across the country. Organizers use the term one day, one town to ensure that the protests remain visible even as media fatigue has set in.

The movement has no single political leader and is deliberately organized by non-partisan citizens. A 56-year-old schoolteacher who participates every Saturday described the protesters as the people who do not appear on television. She added: We have been treated as decorations. Elections are held, but decisions are taken elsewhere. Now we are saying enough.

The demonstrations have been peaceful, though highway blockades have caused delays. Police have made a handful of arrests for routine offenses, but no serious violence has been reported. Protest organizers point out that they have successfully kept the campaign civil despite online taunts from political supporters.

The Accusations: 'Selling Albania for Their Own Interests'

The slogan that emerged at the beginning of the protest has become a national conversation. It is not a narrowly economic accusation, but a sweeping condemnation of elite decision-making. Activists claim that the merger plan is linked to property speculation, transport concessions, and planned tourism developments along the coast. They want our land to hand over to investors, said Edlira, a retired nurse from the Sarandë area. Our municipality is not perfect, but it is ours.

The government has rejected these claims as emotional and unfounded. Interior ministry officials say that all decisions are made in the interest of efficiency and that no personal or corporate gain is involved. But the public is skeptical. A recent opinion poll, conducted by an independent research institute, found that more than 70 percent of respondents believe that corruption significantly influences administrative policy. The protesters phrase compresses that broad suspicion into a simple slogan.

Expert Perspectives: Between Rationality and Mistrust

Administrative reform researchers argue that small municipalities in Albania are among the most inefficient units in Europe. Municipalities with ten thousand residents often maintain separate payrolls, procurement systems, and property databases, duplicating costs and slowing services. Taken in isolation, consolidation is textbook public management, said Blerta S., a professor of public administration at the University of Tirana. Any economist would tell you that merging units of fewer than fifteen thousand people creates economies of scale.

But, she continued, the textbook also says that successful mergers require preparation, pilot studies, consultation, and legal guarantees. None of that has happened here. The government just drops a plan and expects everyone to accept it.

Another analyst, who closely follows decentralization in the Western Balkans, warned that the strategy could backfire. If the government frames the reform as a demonstration of strength, it may win the vote in parliament but lose the people forever. The whole region is watching how this is managed.

Implications for Governance and Public Trust

The consequences of a forced merger go beyond street protests. Officials in targeted municipalities may lose their jobs, but the deeper cost is to civic engagement. When local councils are abolished, residents lose the closest link to their representatives. Regional governments will likely be run by appointed prefects for a transition period, further reducing accountability.

Tax collection and budget allocations may improve in the long run, as the government promises, but the real short-term effect will be a surge in applications and approvals. Construction permits, property deeds, social welfare files, and business registrations are all localized. A citizen who once walked to a municipal office may now need to travel 50 kilometers.

Public trust, already low, stands to be a major casualty. The prolonged protests have shown the government that citizens are willing to leave their daily routines and stand outside in bad weather to be heard. Ignoring that signal could feed the very cynicism that undermines Albanian democracy.

The Human Side of the Protest

Among the crowd in a northern town, a 34-year-old fruit seller named Adriatik said he has been taking shifts at the protest site every week since the movement began. I lose 4,000 lek of sales every day I am here, he said, but if I do not come, I will lose my entire business license and my land to bureaucratic strangers who have never seen my village.

His concern is grounded in practical experience: when the 2015 reform took effect, his own village lost its commune office and he now drives 22 miles to inspect a land registry. The new merger, he said, would move that office to a distant city. Maybe in Tirana they think 22 miles is nothing. Here, with no bus and mountain roads, it is a whole journey.

Thousands of similar individual grievances have been recorded by organizers. An elderly pensioner showed reporters a torn document from his late father describing a plot of family land. He fears that with the municipal merger, those early ownership records will be even harder to find.

What's Next

The protest movement has announced a national assembly in Tirana scheduled for the coming Saturday, where delegates from at least 20 affected municipalities plan to adopt a common declaration. Organizers also aim to file a legal challenge to the merger plan, arguing that it bypasses a statutory requirement for local consultation. If the protests continue past the 70-day mark, some political observers say the issue could push the country's main opposition parties to take a more active role, although the movement is careful to stay outside party structures.

The government has signaled a willingness to discuss technical adjustments but remains opposed to a full withdrawal. Prime ministerial advisors believe that yielding to street pressure would set a precedent that could stall other unpopular structural reforms. As the 63rd day ended with a candle-lit vigil outside the prime minister's residence, the country is waiting for a decision—or a bigger crisis.