During protests in the Albanian capital Tirana, the government headquarters and parliament were attacked. The opposition is calling for further demonstrations.
afp | Several people were injured in violent clashes between anti-government demonstrators and the police in the Albanian capital Tirana. At least 16 police officers were injured and 13 people were arrested, the Albanian police said on Tuesday. Opposition supporters threw Molotov cocktails and stones at government buildings while security forces used tear gas against protesters, AFP news agency reporters observed.
The demonstration was the latest in a series of protest rallies in Albania, which the opposition leader Sali Berisha had called for. Among other things, the seat of government and parliament were attacked. Some protesters set off fireworks while police, who were deployed in large numbers, used water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Berisha, a former prime minister and leader of the right-wing Democratic Party, said: A lawmaker from his party was taken to hospital with injuries.
Call for further protests
Politics in Albania is characterized by violent verbal attacks between the right and left camps. The parties regularly insult each other and accuse the other of corruption and ties to organized crime.
The government of left-wing Prime Minister Edi Rama is currently rocked by a corruption scandal. Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, a close confidante of Rama, was suspended by an anti-corruption court last November for her alleged involvement in a corruption case involving public contracts. Rama called her suspension a “brutal encroachment on the independence of the executive.”
Berisha himself is accused of awarding public contracts to his confidants. However, he vehemently denies this. He has called for further protests on February 20th.
Corruption and organized crime are a central hurdle for Albania’s desired accession to the EU. The mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, was arrested in February last year on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Two of Rama’s former ministers are accused of embezzlement and abuse of power. Former President Ilir Meta was arrested in October 2024 – he is also accused of corruption and money laundering.
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