Albania will build a new parliament instead of the mausoleum of Enver Hoxha

Enver Hoxha's Mausoleum

Tirana - The Albanian parliament voted on Thursday to pass a law that will see the demolition of the mausoleum of communist dictator Enver Hoxha in the center of Tirana, and a new parliament building will be built in its place. 72 out of a total of 140 lawmakers voted for the demolition of the mausoleum.
    "We must build a temple of democracy and we cannot keep a place that celebrates a dictator," stated during the debate MP Enkeled Alibeaj from the ruling Democratic Party.
    The opposition justified its resistance to the law by arguing that building a new seat for the legislature, which is unnecessary, would disproportionately burden the state budget. A number of Albanian intellectuals reject the demolition of the mausoleum nicknamed "the pyramid" due to its shape. In their opinion, it is part of the cultural heritage and collective memory of the nation.
    The pyramid-shaped mausoleum was built in 1988, three years after the dictator's death. Enver Hoxha ruled the country authoritatively from World War II until his death in 1985. During that time, Albania fell into complete international isolation, and its backwardness deepened.
    The government has not disclosed the projected costs of the new parliament building.