The Albanian Government has refused to step down after six days of violent protests in Tirana, saying its fall would set back the country’s European Union accession talks by years.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, in office since 2013 and returned to a fourth term last year, ruled out resignation in a video address on October 18. He said what was at stake was not his own power but the negotiating table with Brussels.
An interruption of the talks would cost Albania years of progress, he argued, and he questioned whether his departure would produce better government or faster membership. Earlier in the week he told Reuters in a written statement: “I will not allow violence to derail Albania’s European future.”
Rama has blamed outside interference for the unrest and said disinformation spread on social media had fed anger among young Albanians.
The protests began on October 13, driven by students demanding better university conditions, lower fees and action against corruption. They followed months of largely peaceful demonstrations against a luxury resort development on Albania’s southern coast backed by investors including Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Police have used water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets against crowds throwing stones, fireworks and petrol bombs near the prime minister’s office. Almost 100 officers were injured in the first two days of clashes and more than 100 people were detained.
The unrest has spread to Durrës, Elbasan and Shkodër, and parliament in Tirana postponed a plenary sitting because of the violence.
Rama compared the current clashes with January 21, 2011, when four demonstrators were shot dead during a protest against the government of then prime minister Sali Berisha. On that occasion, he said, State institutions were not attacked and officers were not targeted with petrol bombs.
The accession process he invoked is moving slowly. Albania closed its fourth negotiating chapter on October 13, the day the rioting started, and has 29 still to go.
European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on October 15 said the bloc had to overhaul its own workings before admitting anyone, without committing to a single institutional change or date. The European Commission’s annual enlargement package, expected to set out accession roadmaps for the frontrunners, has been put back to November 4.
Rama offered to meet protesters at government offices, universities or anywhere else, with or without cameras. He warned though that those who used violence while hiding their faces would meet the response of the State.
The United States embassy in Tirana has called for restraint on all sides.
