Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Albania’s capital on December 22 2025, hurling petrol bombs at the government building housing Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, in a dramatic escalation of public outrage over corruption allegations against a senior cabinet member.
The protests, organised by the centre-right main opposition party, the Democratic Party, demanded the immediate resignation of Rama and his administration, highlighting deep-seated frustrations with governance and accountability in the Balkan nation.
The unrest was sparked by the indictment of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who also serves as Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, by Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK).
Prosecutors accuse Balluku of interfering with public procurements and misusing state funds to favour specific companies in major infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, and tunnels worth hundreds of millions of euros.
SPAK has requested that parliament lift Balluku’s immunity to allow for her potential arrest, though no vote has been scheduled.
Balluku has vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as “mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies” during a parliamentary address last month, and pledged full cooperation with the judiciary.
Protesters gathered outside the Prime Minister’s office in central Tirana on Monday, chanting slogans such as “Rama Out!” and expressing anger over what they perceive as systemic corruption.
One demonstrator, Arben Sulo, was quoted by Reuters saying: “We have had enough because it’s a matter of tens and hundreds of millions of euros stolen, and she isn’t resigning. This is disgraceful.”
The clashes saw at least one opposition supporter injured by a Molotov cocktail, while police in riot gear formed a cordon to protect the building but refrained from dispersing the crowd.
Thousands of citizens, called by the opposition, protested in #Tirana, #Albania. They demanded the resignation of Prime Minister #EdiRama. pic.twitter.com/F62lZWDr2F
— Isa Myzyraj (@IsamyzyrajAlb) December 22, 2025
Opposition leaders have framed the protests as the start of a broader campaign. Democratic Party MP Belind Kellici addressed the crowd, declaring: “This is only the beginning,” and vowing that demonstrations would continue until their demands are met.
Smaller rallies by other opposition groups occurred over the preceding weekend, amplifying calls for accountability.
Prime Minister Rama, whose Socialist Party holds a parliamentary majority, has criticised the charges against Balluku and shown no inclination to facilitate SPAK’s request.
The government awaits a Constitutional Court ruling in January on Balluku’s potential suspension from office, which could delay any immunity vote. This stance has further fuelled accusations of shielding allies from justice.
The scandal extends beyond Balluku, with SPAK also raiding the National Information Agency (AKSHI), which manages Albania’s digital governance systems.
AKSHI’s head, Mirlinda Karcanaj, and her deputy, Hava Delibashi, have been placed under house arrest as part of investigations into manipulated tenders.
These events come against a backdrop of ongoing anti-corruption efforts in Albania, where SPAK has increasingly targeted high-profile figures amid pressure from the European Union for judicial reforms.
However, critics argue that political interference persists, with opposition parties accusing Rama’s government of “state capture” through cronyism in public contracts.
These developments unfold against the backdrop of Albania’s accelerating path towards European Union membership, widely regarded as one of the frontrunners among Western Balkan candidates.
In a remarkable surge of progress throughout 2025, Albania opened all six negotiating clusters—including the final one on resources, agriculture, and cohesion in November—completing the opening phase in just over a year, a pace praised by Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos as unprecedented.
The European Commission’s 2025 enlargement ‘package’ highlighted advances in judicial reforms and the fight against organised crime and corruption, driven by the work of SPAK, while affirming that Albania remains on track to conclude accession negotiations by 2027 and potentially join the EU by 2030.
Three senior European Union figures have been officially charged for alleged fraud involving EU funds. https://t.co/dWQPcTP151
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 3, 2025
