Opinion
The election date is set; trust in the race is not
May 9 is a lawful and reasoned date. But consultations attended only by the Socialists, PSD and the Election Commissioner are not enough for a process everyone must accept.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 30, 2026, 18:30 · Updated 19:02 · 2 min read
President Bajram Begaj on Friday set May 9, 2027, as the date of the local elections. The date falls within the Electoral Code's window, the last of four possible Sundays between April 15 and May 15, and comes with a technical rationale: the State Election Commissioner said it leaves more time for implementing measures. The president stressed that the choice favors no side. So far, the procedure is in order.
The problem is the table. Begaj invited every force represented in Parliament, but only the Socialist group, PSD and the Commissioner came. The others did not show up and did not make any preference public. An opposition that says it will use “every opportunity” within the system, as Sali Berisha put it, cannot leave empty the first and simplest opportunity: saying where it stands on the election calendar.
The majority has questions to answer too. Taulant Balla is right that “boycotting the elections is not a solution,” but the same day also brought the exclusion of Berisha from Parliament for 10 days and of five Democratic MPs for 60 days. When an invitation to compete and penalties in the chamber arrive at the same time, trust is not built with appeals alone. Meanwhile PD calls the process a “farce” in advance while summoning a national protest for Saturday.
Local elections are not just a date on the calendar. In 46 municipalities, citizens will choose the people who run water, roads, schools and waste collection. A process everyone accepts begins long before election day: with known rules, clear deadlines and parties sitting at the same table, even when they disagree.
Our proposal is concrete. The Election Commissioner should invite all parliamentary parties, within November, to a public meeting on the calendar and implementing measures for May 9, with published minutes. PD should send its representatives and submit its demands in writing. The President's Office should publish the minutes of Friday's consultations, so citizens know who came, who was absent and what was proposed.
