Albania’s Opposition Disrupts Parliament as Protesters Demand Prime Minister Quit

Opposition lawmakers in Albania stormed the country’s parliament in Tirana on Thursday, setting off flares and smoke bombs in an attempt to stop a vote on a new law governing the central bank, according to Al Jazeera. The attempt failed, and the vote went ahead. The disruption came as street protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama continue to rattle the country.

Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party of Albania, and fellow opposition members entered the chamber in support of the demonstrators. As Berisha spoke, his colleagues stood around him holding photos of protesters they said had been hurt by rubber bullets, Al Jazeera reported.

What the opposition says

Berisha called members of the government “criminals” and said they deserved harsh treatment instead of the young people who have been protesting. He used violent language about what the ruling lawmakers should face, which Al Jazeera quoted in full. Opposition members framed their action as solidarity with the demonstrators, who they say have been met with excessive force.

Al Jazeera also lists reports among its related coverage that police in Albania were filmed beating a protester unconscious. The opposition has pointed to injuries from rubber bullets as evidence of heavy-handed policing.

What the government has done

Rama has been in office for 13 years and has refused to step down after winning a fourth term last year. Instead, his government has pursued a mix of tougher rules and concessions.

On the tougher side, Rama has introduced fines of more than $6,000 for anyone who attends a protest that turns violent, even if that person did not take part in the violence. Al Jazeera notes that this is six times Albania’s average monthly salary of around $1,000.

On the conciliatory side, Rama has announced measures aimed at easing tensions, according to Albania’s public broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar. The monthly scholarship stipend for students from low-income families is to be increased, scholarships have been extended to master’s degree students, and the broadcaster reported that rent will be subsidized for students.

How the protests began and grew

The protests began in May, set off by Rama’s preliminary approval of a luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. The student-led movement has since widened far beyond that project. Demonstrators now cite economic stagnation, alleged corruption, poor education standards and high tuition fees.

Al Jazeera describes the demonstrations as Albania’s largest in decades. They have turned violent at times, injuring hundreds of people, including police officers. Government buildings, banks and private buildings have been attacked and set on fire.

What’s at stake

For ordinary Albanians, the dispute touches several everyday concerns at once. The new fines mean that simply being present at a protest that turns violent could cost someone far more than a typical month’s pay. Students, the group at the center of the movement, are the main beneficiaries of the stipend, scholarship and rent measures, though it is not yet clear whether those steps will satisfy the demonstrators, who are asking for the prime minister’s resignation rather than for aid alone.

The clash in parliament also shows how the protest movement has become entangled with the formal opposition. Berisha’s party has openly sided with the demonstrators, while the government has kept its majority and passed the central bank law despite the disruption. Rama has given no sign that he plans to resign.

Reports of the scale of the violence, the policing of the protests and the full details of the government’s student measures come from Al Jazeera and the Albanian public broadcaster, and independent confirmation of the numbers of injured has not been provided in the coverage so far.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, Fox News