Muçollari: Fire in Tirana a consequence of a failed urban model

2026-04-16 10:12:00, Politikë CNA

Member of the Democratic Party leadership, Grigels Muçollari, stated that the fire that broke out in the building in the area near Pharmacy 10 is the result of a failed urban development model and not a coincidence.

Invited to the show "Kafe Shqeto", Muçollari stressed that substandard construction and the lack of institutional control have increased the risk to the lives of citizens. He also criticized Prime Minister Edi Rama's influence on Tirana's urban development, claiming that the Prime Minister's taste has dictated the granting of construction permits.

According to him, the phenomenon of the so-called facade culture has favored the external appearance of buildings to the detriment of their safety and quality. Muçollari raised concerns that many new buildings pose a risk to the lives of residents, linking this to massive concreting and the lack of standards.

"What has happened is no longer a coincidence, it is a direct consequence of a failed model of urban development. A long-standing approach by those who have governed us for more than a decade, where construction and building permits have been issued without standards, without control. Then, I would, I would look at it in two dimensions. First of all, if we have noticed, the taste, or the taste of the prime minister, has dictated every type of permit in the capital. And not only that, but it has been used as a model for development.

That is, this also shows a tendency or a culture, the culture of facades, which I call it, which expresses the philosophy of governance, which means only surface and no content. And repeated cases now, especially in the construction sector, where many lives of citizens are put at risk and not only that, but safety, public security, is put at risk, in almost all new buildings, express precisely this approach of the government. We are dealing with building permits, massive concreting, without standards, without control.

And this kind of philosophy which is also supported as a consequence of an economic model of, I would say, I would call it, since it is not even called a model, in the model through money laundering. Which means that we are not dealing with a development on urban planning nor on public interest, but precisely on taste and on a certain model where Mr. Rama has decided for more than a decade to supply the economy through dirty money. All, all this type of governance, all this type of approach, has also reflected in the case where unfortunately, many of the citizens of Tirana have lost their assets, have lost their homes", said Muçollari.

He called for a full investigation of the incident, an audit of all construction permits, and urgent intervention to ensure the safety of citizens, especially on the eve of the summer season.

"There is a need for an audit of all permits and, of course, their compliance, which must be audited by the builders. In order to find those responsible and in order to establish a starting point for the reconstruction of a city that serves the public interest. So all these facts, I believe, I believe that they should be at the center of public opinion, at the center of public discussion", said Muçollari./ CNA