{"id":2749,"date":"2026-10-15T18:03:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T13:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2749"},"modified":"2026-10-15T18:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T13:03:45","slug":"albanias-leader-defies-calls-to-resign-as-student-protesters-rampage-in-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2749","title":{"rendered":"Albania’s leader defies calls to resign as student protesters rampage in capital"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday rejected calls to resign as thousands of student-led protesters smashed windows \u200band fought running battles with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas in the capital.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Protesters voiced anger about perceived corruption, the cost \u200cand quality of education and a deal to sell off parts of its pristine southern coastline to a luxury resort development backed by US President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n

They demanded Rama\u2019s resignation, saying no one had listened to their concerns during a summer of largely peaceful protests over the development.<\/p>\n

In a written statement to Reuters<\/em>, Rama rejected calls to quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy responsibility is to listen, \u200baddress legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward. The alternative would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete \u200bnegotiations on European Union membership,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Rama condemns attacks on public property<\/h3>\n

A student who gave her name as Kiara said the \u2060cost of living, poor job prospects, and alleged corruption were the main issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur prime minister is the meaning of the word corruption. You can only find work \u200bin your field if you know a guy who knows a guy,\u201d she said, her face covered by a mask, like many on the streets on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The protests, now in their third day, mark the biggest challenge yet to Rama, who won a fourth term last year, with EU membership at the centre of his campaign. Parliament cancelled its session as the violence erupted again nearby.<\/p>\n

Rama, whose government denies corruption, said he would be ready to discuss the rising cost of education, but added: \u201cAttacking institutions, destroying public property and threatening public safety have nothing \u200bto do with the legitimate demands of students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tirana\u2019s streets were littered with burned-out garbage bins, shattered bus stops and broken traffic lights.<\/p>\n

Wafts of tear gas drifted across \u200bthe centre. Protesters hurled stones at police, who used water cannons to push protesters back. In the central Skanderbeg Square, police hit fleeing protesters with batons as tourists looked on.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Protester says they are not being heard<\/h3>\n

\u201cThis government is corrupted, led and governed by a corrupt prime minister,\u201d protester Lulzim Tanushi, a lawyer, said. \u201cSince Rama came to power, he has abused and ruined people\u2019s lives, and that is why people are showing their anger \u2014 when they were not heard before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The protests follow months of mostly peaceful demonstrations sparked by the plans to build the resort, which has faced legal challenges.<\/p>\n

Villagers told Reuters<\/em> in July that their land was wrongfully sold for development. Reuters<\/em> later reported that the man who sold the \u200bland was wanted by prosecutors for drug \u200btrafficking, charges his lawyer denied.<\/p>\n

Reuters found \u2060no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner, who is not directly involved in the villagers\u2019 dispute.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Aiming for EU entry as soon as 2028<\/h3>\n

Albania\u2019s image has been tarnished over the years by corruption scandals, and political analysts say the country is a hub for \u200bgangs seeking to launder money from drugs and weapons trafficking, complicating its efforts to join the EU.<\/p>\n

Along with Montenegro, Albania \u200bis currently leading the \u2060accession process among Balkan countries and is aiming for entry as early as 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorruption must be confronted and, as the EU itself has recently reaffirmed, Albania is tackling it as never before,\u201d Rama said to Reuters<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps some forces, at home and abroad, do not want Albania to succeed as a forerunner for EU membership. But I will not allow violence \u2060to derail \u200bAlbania\u2019s European future.\u201d<\/p>\n

A European Union mission to Albania, in a statement on X, said: \u201cConstructive dialogue is the \u200bonly way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The unrest is part of a wave of student activism in Europe. In France, high school students have staged weeks of protests and school blockades demanding more teachers and better facilities, arguing \u200bthat deteriorating school buildings and overcrowded classrooms are undermining education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday rejected calls to resign as thousands of student-led protesters smashed windows \u200band fought running battles with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas in the capital. Protesters voiced anger about perceived corruption, the cost \u200cand quality of education and a deal to sell off parts of its pristine southern coastline to a luxury resort development backed by US President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner. They demanded Rama\u2019s resignation, saying no one had listened to their concerns during a summer of largely peaceful…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}