Albania’s PM dismisses calls to resign as student protests spread

Prime Minister Edi Rama condemns ‘chaos’ as protests continue for a third day in the capital and spread to other cities.

Albania’s prime minister has dismissed calls for his resignation as thousands of protesters clash with riot police in the capital for the third day in a row, leaving government buildings damaged.

“My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a written statement to the Reuters news agency, following protester demands for him to resign.

“The alternative would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate ‌to complete negotiations on European Union membership,” Rama added on Thursday.

This comes as riot police used water cannons and tear gas against crowds of protesters in the capital, Tirana. Demonstrators have accused officials of corruption and neglecting education, ⁠expressing anger about the sale of parts of Albania’s southern coastline to a luxury resort development backed by United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Tirana’s streets were littered with burnt-out rubbish bins, shattered bus stops and broken traffic lights. In the capital’s central Skanderbeg Square, police hit fleeing protesters with batons as tourists looked on.

Thursday’s protests also spread to several smaller cities as students joined university boycotts.

Rama, whose government denies corruption, said he would be ready to discuss rising education costs but rejected the calls to resign.

“Perhaps some forces, at home and abroad, do not want Albania to succeed as a forerunner for EU membership. But I will not allow violence to derail Albania’s European future,” Rama said in his statement to Reuters.

‘Everyone will certainly pay’

Rama earlier posted a video on his Facebook page showing him touring the burnt-out remains of an office at a university campus in Tirana.

“Until yesterday, this was the office of the College of Europe, the school of a united Europe,” he said in the video, his first public comments since the protests began.

“Everyone is responsible before the law, and everyone who has had a hand in this chaos will certainly pay.”

The prime minister was due to meet his party’s parliamentary group early on Thursday, when protesters circulated an “ultimatum” demanding his resignation by 1pm (11:00 GMT).

But even before the deadline passed, protesters had already begun clashing with police, building makeshift barriers and setting fire to bins.

‘Our prime minister is the meaning of the word corruption’

A student who gave her name as Kiara told Reuters the cost of living, poor job prospects and alleged corruption were the main issues for protesters.

“Our prime minister is the meaning of the word corruption. You can only find work in your field if you know a guy who knows a guy,” she said, her face covered by a mask, like many on the streets on Thursday.

The protesters demanded Rama’s resignation, saying no one had listened to their concerns during a summer of largely peaceful protests over the luxury resort development linked to Kushner.

Police said 65 people were arrested during Wednesday’s protests, suspected of “attacking police officers, institutions, public and private property”.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that hospitals in Tirana treated 89 people on Wednesday, including 61 police officers.

Four officers and two protesters remained hospitalised, with a demonstrator and two officers expected to undergo surgery.

“Attacking institutions, destroying public property and threatening public safety have nothing to do with the legitimate demands of students,” Rama said.