Members of the Selenicë Municipal Council have unanimously rejected a proposal to merge the municipality with the neighboring Municipality of Vlora, with both majority and opposition councilors taking a united stance against the plan.

All 19 council members present voted against the proposed merger during an extraordinary council meeting, declaring that Selenicë should remain a municipality in its own right.

During the meeting, councilors said they would oppose the proposal through the final stages, arguing that abolishing the municipality would weaken local representation and harm the interests of residents across the area.

Selenicë Mayor Nertil Bellaj also voiced his support for maintaining the municipality as a separate administrative unit, saying the position was based on institutional and economic arguments rather than political interests.

“We have nothing against Vlora. We love Vlora. But the issue is that Selenicë has its own identity and its own needs,” Bellaj said.

Bellaj highlighted Selenicë’s large territory of approximately 561 square kilometers, describing it as a predominantly agricultural and livestock-based municipality whose economy and residents are closely connected to farming, livestock production and rural life.

He argued that Selenicë’s development priorities differ from those of Vlora, particularly in terms of agriculture, livestock and mountain tourism.

“We have the typical profile of a municipality that should serve farmers, agricultural producers and mountain tourism,” Bellaj said, adding that Vlora could pursue a different development model focused more heavily on coastal tourism.

The mayor also pointed to the experience of the 2014 administrative-territorial reform, arguing that some villages incorporated into Vlora had not necessarily benefited more than communities in Selenicë.

Bellaj emphasized that his opposition to the merger was not motivated by his position as mayor.