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Sixteen protesters were treated in a hospital for burns and
other injuries, police said, adding that 13 protesters were
arrested.
Prime Minister Edi Rama's government has come under fire over
corruption allegations involving Deputy Prime Minister Belinda
Balluku, but Rama has resisted calls to dismiss her. There have
been growing demands that lawmakers lift Balluku's immunity from
prosecution, which can only be done in a parliamentary vote.
Anti-corruption prosecutors have accused Balluku, who is also
minister for energy and infrastructure, of interfering in public
procurement for construction projects to favor certain
companies, and has called for her immunity to be lifted.
Tuesday night’s protest in the Albanian capital was attended by
thousands of people. It was the third such demonstration in
recent months demanding Rama’s resignation. More than 1,300
police officers had been deployed to ensure security. Previous
protests also turned violent, with demonstrators throwing
Molotov cocktails and rocks at police and a government building,
and with authorities responding with tear gas and water cannons.
Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, a former prime
minister who has also faced corruption charges himself,
described the protest as a “peaceful uprising” at a critical
moment for Albania. Speaking at the protest, he accused Rama of
“declaring war on the justice system.”
Political analyst Mentor Kikia said it was unlikely that any
major change would result from the protests. “Citizens are
distrustful, having consistently voted for the lesser evil to
remove the greater evil from power,” he said.
“The current perception is that if Rama leaves, Berisha will
return. One left power because of corruption, the other must
also leave power because of corruption,” Kikia said.
Albania hopes to join the European Union, and is under close
monitoring by the bloc as part of its accession process, which
it hopes to complete by 2027.
However, international watchdogs say the country continues to
suffer from widespread corruption.
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