Violent clashes broke out between Albanian police and protesters in the capital city of Tirana over allegations of government corruption. Thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside the main government building, demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation.
Led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who heads the right-wing Democratic Party, the rally was marked by tensions escalating as groups of protesters attempted to march towards parliament and break through police cordons. Protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails, resulting in at least 10 officers sustaining minor injuries. Twenty-five protesters were arrested during the chaos.
The protests follow a recent corruption case involving Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, a close Rama ally, who was suspended by a special corruption court over her alleged role in a public procurement scandal. The government has condemned the suspension as an "act of interference" in the executive branch's independence.
A parliamentary committee is set to review on Wednesday a request from anti-corruption prosecutors to lift Balluku's immunity, which would enable her arrest. This decision comes amid ongoing efforts by Albania to join the European Union, with corruption and organized crime seen as significant obstacles to this goal.
Notably, two other former Rama cabinet members have been accused of embezzlement and abuse of power, while Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was arrested in February last year on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
Led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who heads the right-wing Democratic Party, the rally was marked by tensions escalating as groups of protesters attempted to march towards parliament and break through police cordons. Protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails, resulting in at least 10 officers sustaining minor injuries. Twenty-five protesters were arrested during the chaos.
The protests follow a recent corruption case involving Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, a close Rama ally, who was suspended by a special corruption court over her alleged role in a public procurement scandal. The government has condemned the suspension as an "act of interference" in the executive branch's independence.
A parliamentary committee is set to review on Wednesday a request from anti-corruption prosecutors to lift Balluku's immunity, which would enable her arrest. This decision comes amid ongoing efforts by Albania to join the European Union, with corruption and organized crime seen as significant obstacles to this goal.
Notably, two other former Rama cabinet members have been accused of embezzlement and abuse of power, while Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was arrested in February last year on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
it's like, you'd think with all the tech advancements we got now, we should be able to prevent this kind of chaos from happening but idk, corruption just seems so hard to shake off 
and its affecting their EU membership hopes - a major bummer for those Albanians who wanna see their country grow 
. and now 25 ppl are in jail & 10 cops got hurt. can't they jus resolve it peacefully? 
like how can you have protests and then arrests? It seems like the government is trying to squash the opposition instead of addressing the real issues. And with all these corruption cases going on, it's not surprising that people are getting fed up 
. The fact that there are still people in positions of power who think they're above the law is really concerning 
. Maybe someone needs to remind Edi Rama and his crew that they're not above accountability 
.
. First, it's the protests over government corruption, then there's the whole EU thing and suddenly everyone's a expert on reforming institutions 
. Like, can we please focus for 5 seconds? The fact that they have to deal with all this drama is actually kinda impressive – I mean, at least they're trying to join the "civilized" world 
. And honestly, if anyone deserves a scandal, it's the politicians who've been caught red-handed taking bribes 
. Can't wait to see how this all plays out... or not, because let's be real, it probably just gets messy 
.
I'm totally with the protesters on this one! Corruption is like a big ol' elephant in Albania's backyard, and it's gotta be addressed ASAP 
. It's time for accountability and transparency, not more cover-ups! 