The meeting of the Electoral Reform Commission was accompanied by debates between representatives of the opposition and the majority, due to the absence of the General Director of the State Police at the hearing, where Deputy Director Sokol Bizhga was present in his place.
The co-chair of the commission from the opposition, Oerd Bylykbashi, considered the non-participation of the chief police officer unacceptable, emphasizing the role of this institution in electoral processes.
"It is unacceptable that the director of the State Police does not come to a parliamentary hearing. It has also been documented by internationals that the State Police has violently intervened in the election process. The police have become a problem again for two reasons: for what they should do and what they are not doing," said Bylykbashi.
The same position was held by Democratic member Gent Strazimiri, who requested the postponement of the meeting on the grounds that police representation was not at the appropriate level.
"The deputy director should not be here. The commission is not a seminar. How can a deputy director come, even without staff? The meeting should be postponed," Strazimiri declared.
On the other hand, the co-chair of the majority, Damian Gjiknuri, rejected the opposition's demands, explaining that police leaders have no legal obligation to report on their work before this committee.
"He has no obligation to report here, it's the Security Committee or other committees. They report on their work to special committees, we are not an investigative committee," said Gjiknuri.
Meanwhile, in his speech, Sokol Bizhga argued that he was responsible for the electoral activities in 2025.
"In both cases, I was the protagonist who proposed the changes for the State Police and I was authorized, I always followed the electoral activities. The general director was the leader in a district, while I was responsible for the 2025 electoral process," said Bizhga.