Opposition supporters in Albania clashed with police and threw Molotov cocktails in Tirana on Monday, demanding that the government be replaced by a technocratic interim cabinet before next year’s parliamentary elections.
The opposition has previously accused the Socialist Party of this Balkan state’s Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption, voter manipulation, and usurping the powers of the judiciary in the country, among other things.
After a party member was convicted of slander and imprisoned in a case they consider politically motivated, the Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has been holding protests in front of the Albanian parliament for the past week.
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Several thousand protesters gathered in front of the main government building in Tirana chanting “Down with the dictatorship” and “Berisha, Berisha.”
Several Molotov cocktails were thrown in front of the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party, which burned a large banner with Rama’s image. Clashes also took place in front of the Ministry of the Interior and the City Assembly building.
Police used tear gas to disperse protesters from the parliament. Hundreds of police officers took up positions to protect government institutions. Traffic was reportedly blocked in many streets.
Police said about 10 police officers were injured by Molotov cocktails, pyrotechnics, and hard objects.
Several protesters were taken to hospital, some with injuries caused by tear gas, local media reported.
The Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Flamur Noka, interrupted the protest by promising that “civil disobedience” would continue.
Both the US and the EU have called on the opposition to continue dialogue with the government, saying that violence will not help the country in its European integration.
Democrats are also demanding Berisha’s release from house arrest, where he has been placed during an investigation into alleged corruption. Since 2013, they have organized sometimes violent protests against the government.
Later this month, Tirana will begin negotiating with Brussels on how the country has aligned itself with the EU’s views on the rule of law, democratic institutions, and the fight against corruption as part of its efforts to join the Union.
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Source: Euronews
Photo: AP/Hameraldi Agolli