Clashes in Albania as protesters demand PM Rama resign

Al Jazeera · Feb 21, 2026 · Collected from RSS

Full Article

Violence breaks out near parliament as demonstrators demand accountability in corruption investigation linked to deputy prime minister.Published On 21 Feb 2026Police in the Albanian capital, Tirana, fired tear gas and used water cannon as protesters clashed with security forces during demonstrations to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.Demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the prime minister’s office on Friday before marching towards parliament, where they were confronted by anti-riot police.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Twelve Palestine Action activists granted baillist 2 of 4Gunmen on motorcycles kill at least 50 in northwest Nigeria: Reportlist 3 of 4Brazil’s Lula says Maduro should face trial in Venezuela, not USlist 4 of 4Where are the most endangered languages in the world?end of listFierce clashes lasted for about two hours in the streets surrounding the legislature, according to a journalist with the AFP news agency who was at the scene of the violence.Police said about 30 people were arrested, while the opposition Democratic Party said about 40 of its supporters had been detained.Protests in the streets of the capital have broken out on several occasions since the indictment in December of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku by a special prosecution unit. Balluku, a close associate of Rama, was suspended over a corruption scandal that is now being investigated.Several former ministers in Rama’s governments have also been targeted by corruption probes.Waving Albanian and opposition party flags, thousands gathered on Friday in protest, chanting “Rama, go away” and “Rama in jail”.Embattled Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama [File: Florion Goga/Reuters]“We will save Albania from Edi Rama, who has plunged the country into poverty and corruption,” said opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha.“Let them know that even if they go behind the sun, we will find them and punish them with the full force of the law,” Berisha said.Interior Minister Albana Kociu condemned the unrest, accusing the protesters of “vandalism” and saying that it was a “crime” to attack police.Rama’s Socialist Party holds a comfortable parliamentary majority in Albania after winning a fourth consecutive term last year.Aiming to join the European Union by 2030, Albanian politics has seen a long and bitter rivalry between left and right-wing parties, with both sides frequently accusing the other of corruption and links to organised crime.