Albania’s parliament will begin its final session of the current legislature tomorrow. The session will be the last before the May 11 elections, which will see 140 new MPs elected for the next four years.
Monday’s session is expected to be quiet, with no laws or agreements set to be approved. Only the Speaker of Parliament and the heads of parliamentary groups are scheduled to speak.
Although the parliament will remain in office until September 10, its activities will be limited due to the upcoming elections. There will be no committee meetings or plenary sessions during the election campaign, which runs from April 11 to May 11. Under the electoral code, the parliament is restricted from passing laws that offer benefits to specific sectors, such as salary or pension increases, tax cuts, or privatizations, during this period.
Furthermore, according to the Constitution, no laws can be passed in the 60 days leading up to the end of the parliamentary term, from July 10 to September 10.
One of the most important pieces of legislation expected to be passed in the coming weeks is a change to the Electoral Code, designed to simplify voting for Albanians living abroad. The ruling Socialist Party wants to bring forward candidate registration deadlines to allow more time for producing ballots, ensuring that those abroad have enough time to mail their votes.
The opposition Democrats are pushing for changes that would allow Albanian citizens who emigrated early and lack biometric documents to vote using identification from their country of residence.
If the two major parties find common ground, the Electoral Code amendment will be the last time they cooperate before the race for the parliamentary elections officially begins.
