Anti-Government Protests in Tirana Escalate into Violence

On Saturday evening, the Albanian capital of Tirana became the scene of violent clashes between police forces and anti-government demonstrators. The protest, which was organised and led by opposition leader and former prime minister Sali Berisha, attracted thousands of participants. These individuals assembled in front of Tirana’s main government building to express their discontent with the current administration.

Protesters Demand Prime Minister’s Resignation

During the rally, demonstrators accused Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and called for his immediate resignation. Sali Berisha delivered a speech urging the crowd to unite in opposition to the government and advocated for the establishment of a technical government tasked with organising early, free, and fair elections.

Escalation and Police Response

Following the speeches, tensions escalated as some protesters began throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. In response, law enforcement officials deployed teargas and water cannons in an effort to disperse the crowd. The situation intensified further when groups of protesters marched towards the parliament building, where they attempted to breach police cordons and hurled stones and additional Molotov cocktails. Police responded once again with teargas and water cannons to control the unrest.

Injuries and Arrests

The clashes resulted in at least ten police officers sustaining minor injuries, according to a statement released by the police. Opposition leader Berisha claimed that 25 protesters were arrested during the events. In a subsequent speech outside the headquarters of the right-wing Democratic Party, Berisha described the protest as a significant step towards ending Edi Rama’s regime.

Political Context and Corruption Allegations

The protest took place amid ongoing exchanges of corruption accusations and alleged links to organised crime between both left- and right-wing parties. In November, Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, a close ally of Prime Minister Rama and also the Minister for Infrastructure and Energy, was suspended by a corruption court due to her alleged involvement in a public procurement graft case. Balluku has denied all allegations, while Prime Minister Rama criticised her suspension as a “brutal act of interference in the independence of the executive.”

Subsequently, the Constitutional Court temporarily reinstated Balluku to her position in December, pending a final ruling. Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee is scheduled to review a request from prosecutors specialising in corruption and organised crime to lift her immunity next Wednesday, a move that could lead to her arrest. At the same time, Berisha himself faces suspicions of awarding public contracts to his associates, accusations he strongly denies.