PUBLISHED 11/07/2024
Tirana, 11 July 2024, dtt-net.com – Thousands protested today against the government of the Prime Minister Edi Rama in a protest called by the opposition which is seeking a technical government ahead of 2025 regular parliamentary elections, accusing the head of the government and officials of corruption, links with organized crime and failure in socio-economic front.
Euractiv.com with Reuters
Jul 11, 2024
Police officers stand guard after protesters throw molotov cocktails during a rally against the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, in Tirana, Albania, 19 April 2024.
Opposition protesters pelted Albania’s government building and a mayor’s office with petrol bombs late on Thursday (11 July), accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demanding his resignation.
Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in front of Rama’s office and later at the office of Tirana’s mayor who is also from Rama’s Socialist Party.
Police did not intervene but did extinguish fires from the petrol bombs which endangered a few officers. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Protesters also asked for release of opposition leader Sali Berisha who has been held under house arrest and investigated for alleged corruption while serving as prime minister between 2005-2013. He is currently also sanctioned by the US and the UK for corruption.
Berisha has denied wrongdoing, accusing Rama of a political vendetta meant to silence opponents. Rama made no comment but has denied this charge repeatedly.
Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to file formal charges against Berisha.
“Albania is the only country in Europe with its opposition leader under political arrest without any facts, evidence or documents,” Berisha said via a video link from his house arrest.
“Edi Rama wants an Albania without Albanians, without opposition and without justice.”
Berisha has called for supporters to engage in civil disobedience to force the government to hold snap elections.
Rama has held power since 2013 and has won all parliamentary and local elections since then. Albania is officially a candidate to join the EU.
ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION
Albania: Protests against the government escalate
Thousands of people took to the streets in the Albanian capital Tirana on Thursday to protest against Prime Minister Edi Rama. Opponents of the government accused Rama of corruption and demanded his resignation. Angry demonstrators threw incendiary devices at the Albanian government building and the office of a mayor who belongs to Rama's Socialist Party. The fires were extinguished, but there are no reports of injuries for the time being.
Opponents of the government are demanding the release of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. The opposition leader is under house arrest on suspicion of corruption.
"Political arrest without any facts"
"Albania is the only country in Europe where the opposition leader is under political arrest without any facts or evidence," said Berisha via video link. "Edi Rama wants an Albania without Albanians, without opposition and without justice."
The public prosecutor's office has not yet decided whether to bring formal charges against Berisha. Berisha denies all accusations and accuses Rama of revenge in order to silence opponents. Rama, for his part, denies the accusations.
Call to protest
Berisha had called on his supporters to engage in civil disobedience in order to force the government to hold new elections. Edi Rama has been in power since 2013 and has won all parliamentary and local elections since then.
The media at the opposition protest:
The country needs a technical
government
Ditari i Opozitës
POLITIKO
Sali Berisha's allies joined this evening in the Boulevard protesting, together with Ilir Meta and other figures of the Freedom Party.
One of the allies, the head of the Republican Party, Fatmir Mediu, has told A2 CNN that the opposition has protested today not only for its cause, but for the cause of the Albanians.
"It is not the opposition's cause, it is the Albanians' cause. We live in a government that knows neither the constitution nor the law. Albanian citizens are denied the opportunity to vote as free people. The economy is headed for ruin. Leaving young people a wound. The majority has an arrogance in its behavior ..."
Asked if he believes that Prime Minister Edi Rama will guarantee the technical government that the opposition is looking for, Mediu said that the duty of the opposition is to raise society in protests like today's, and to make it clear to the international community that the country a technical government is needed to prepare the elections.
As for the situation within the opposition itself, Mediu said that the latter is led by Albanians and that everyone's contribution is needed.
" The task of Berisha and others is to be with the opposition and the Albanians to build this qualitative government... The message of a new government with a new concept and new qualities."
Thousands Protest Amid Corruption Allegations Against Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama
Opposition protesters in Albania threw petrol bombs at government buildings, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demanding his resignation. They also called for the release of opposition leader Sali Berisha, held under house arrest. No injuries were reported, and police extinguished the fires.
Opposition protesters in Albania escalated their discontent on Thursday night by pelting government buildings and a mayor's office with petrol bombs. The demonstrators accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demanded his immediate resignation.
Thousands of opposition supporters congregated near Rama's office before moving on to the mayor's premises in Tirana, who is also part of Rama's Socialist Party. Police refrained from intervening but focused on extinguishing the fires, which posed dangers to several officers. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The protesters also voiced demands for the release of opposition leader Sali Berisha, currently under house arrest and investigation for alleged corruption during his term as Prime Minister from 2005-2013. Berisha has denied any wrongdoing, accusing Rama of engaging in a political vendetta to silence opponents. Rama has repeatedly denied these allegations, and prosecutors have yet to file formal charges against Berisha. Berisha, appearing via video from his house arrest, called on supporters to undertake civil disobedience to force the government into holding snap elections.
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