During the first hearing held with representatives of municipalities from the Elbasan County region, local leaders expressed a shared view that the 2014 reform had brought improvements both in increasing financial capacities and in the delivery of public services.

However, the Mayor of Elbasan, Gledian Llatja, was absent from the session, a fact that became the subject of comments from opposition representatives in the Special Commission on Territorial Reform. According to them, his absence was related to reasons different from the officially declared explanation of an engagement abroad.

Democratic Party MP Xhelal Mziu raised questions regarding the absence, describing it as unjustified considering the importance of the consultation process.

Meanwhile, the other mayors from Elbasan County, all led by representatives of the Socialist Party of Albania, offered more praise than criticism for the territorial reform implemented around a decade ago.

The Mayor of Përrenjas, Nuri Belba, the Mayor of Belsh, Arif Tafani, as well as the Mayor of Peqin, Bukurosh Maci, highlighted the improvements brought by the current model of local governance.

Following the conclusion of the hearings in Elbasan, the process is expected to continue with municipalities from the counties of Kukës County and Durrës County as part of further consultations on the territorial reform.