The Roma community in Baltëz, Fier, is calling for more attention from institutions, not only on the eve of elections, but through concrete investments that improve living conditions. The community’s chief, Latif Kazanxhiu, says residents do not need identity cards, as most already have them, but water, infrastructure and solutions to property problems.
“We want basic services; an ID card is not a service. There is a lack of water and infrastructure. For 36 years we have been running from office to office for a property certificate. This is what we want”, Kazanxhiu says.
He criticizes local institutions, claiming that the community is remembered only during election campaigns, when interventions are limited to minimal investments. “Every time elections come, they say, let’s give the Roma community a service”, he says.
Kazanxhiu also raises concern about the lack of political representation and the feeling of discrimination. “They offer us an identity card so we can vote. During campaigns they come and build some small street. We do not have a person to represent us in Parliament. They look at us as second-class people”, he says.
A few days ago, the State Election Commissioner, Ilirjan Celibashi, addressed the Ministry of Interior and the company “IdentiTek” to find a solution so that Roma and Egyptian citizens in economic hardship are provided with identification documents and are not prevented from exercising their right to vote.