Prime Minister Edi Rama has arrived at a resort in Gjiri i Lalëzit, where the ruling Socialist Party is holding its National Assembly amid renewed questions over the party’s leadership and internal political dynamics.

Rama is expected to chair the meeting, scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Ministers, members of parliament and other senior Socialist Party officials had arrived at the venue earlier.

The assembly, held nearly nine months after the party’s previous gathering, is expected to focus on preparations for the upcoming local elections, the reorganization of political leadership across Albania’s regions, and the possibility of changes to the government cabinet.

According to the agenda outlined ahead of the meeting, the assembly is expected to open with an address by Rama.

The gathering comes against the backdrop of a public letter released by Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, who remains in pre-trial detention at Fier prison. Unable to attend after his request was not approved, Veliaj sent a message to assembly members calling for greater internal democracy and a statutory motion of no confidence against Rama.

In his letter, titled “The Socialist Party Is Bigger Than Its Chairman,” Veliaj questioned the concentration of decision-making power within the party leadership and raised allegations of political interference in his legal case.

The assembly is therefore taking place at a significant political moment for the governing party, with its electoral strategy, leadership structure and internal cohesion expected to feature prominently in the discussions.