In brief
For the fifth consecutive day, masked students and university students in Tirana have clashed with riot police over the control of the education ministry and the prime minister’s office. The clashes have escalated, with petrol bombs, water cannons, tear gas and, for the first time, rubber bullets used on both sides, resulting in widespread injuries and arrests. Behind the street‑level violence, allegations of corruption and possible foreign interference swirl around Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has faced legal investigations that threaten his decade‑long rule and Albania’s EU track record. The protests now symbolize a sharper, more desperate opposition against a politician who has long dominated the country’s political landscape.
For the fifth straight day, protests in Tirana have escalated into violent clashes between masked students and riot police, focusing largely on the education ministry and the prime minister’s office.
Challenges to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s rule have left the city’s center a chaotic battlefield, with tear gas, flash‑bangs, water cannons and, for the first time, rubber bullets employed by police forces. Police special forces reinforced the scene after huge smoke cones from burning vehicles swept over the streets.
The student movement, fueled by corruption claims and accusations of foreign interference, has grown from a small, peaceful boycott of university classes into a nationwide outcry. Many demonstrators carry gas masks and arm themselves with stones and toy rockets, repeating chants that echo the climax of the 2013 protests in France.
Rama, who governs with an 83‑seat majority and has pursued EU membership, has denied any knowledge of alleged illegal deals between his insider Ker functionaries and businessmen. The prime minister has issued a call for a “caretaker government” and a new election within a year.
Simultaneously, Albanian prosecutors have detained high‑ranking officials, such as Intelligence chief Vlora Hyseni, linking her to a known businessman linked to Rama and exposing possible corruption webs that heighten political uncertainty.
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