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Clashes erupt at antigovernment protest in Albanian capital Tirana
Protests turn violent, arrests are made, as opposition accuses Prime Minister Edi Rama and allies of corruption.
Clashes have erupted between police and opposition protesters in Albania’s capital over alleged corruption in the Socialist Party government, with the demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
The protest, led by opposition leader and former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, drew thousands of people to a rally on Saturday evening in front of Tirana’s main government building.
Berisha, who heads the right-wing Democratic Party, urged the crowd to “unite to overthrow this government and to put in place a technical government to prepare early, free and fair elections”.
Tensions escalated when groups of protesters marched towards parliament and tried to break through police cordons, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. At least 10 officers sustained minor injuries, police said. According to Berisha, 25 protesters were arrested.
In November, a special corruption court suspended Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, a close Rama ally, over her alleged role in a public procurement corruption case. Balluku, who also serves as infrastructure and energy minister, has denied the allegations, while Rama condemned her suspension as a “brutal act of interference in the independence of the executive”.
Following a request from the government, the Constitutional Court in December temporarily reinstated Balluku pending its final ruling. A parliamentary committee is due to review on Wednesday a request from anticorruption and organised crime prosecutors to lift her immunity, which would allow her arrest.
Organised crime and corruption remain key obstacles to Albania’s ambition of joining the European Union.
Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was arrested in February last year on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Two other former ministers who served under Rama have also been accused of embezzlement and abuse of power. Ilir Meta, who has served as president and prime minister, was arrested in October 2024 on accusations of corruption and money laundering.
