{"id":12978,"date":"2026-02-21T09:23:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T09:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12978"},"modified":"2026-02-21T09:23:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T09:23:49","slug":"clashes-in-albania-as-protesters-demand-pm-rama-resign-protests-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12978","title":{"rendered":"Clashes in Albania as protesters demand PM Rama resign | Protests News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Violence breaks out near parliament as demonstrators demand accountability in corruption investigation linked to deputy prime minister.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">2 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1747788086488-1748902760.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 21 Feb 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">21 Feb 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Police 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.<\/p>\n<p>Demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the prime minister\u2019s office on Friday before marching towards parliament, where they were confronted by anti-riot police.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Fierce 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.<\/p>\n<p>Police said about 30 people were arrested, while the opposition Democratic Party said about 40 of its supporters had been detained.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Several former ministers in Rama\u2019s governments have also been targeted by corruption probes.<\/p>\n<p>Waving Albanian and opposition party flags, thousands gathered on Friday in protest, chanting \u201cRama, go away\u201d and \u201cRama in jail\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4082497\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4082497\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4082497\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-13T114940Z_277540266_RC2ZAHARFSWC_RTRMADP_3_EU-ALBANIA-WESTERN-BALKANS-1762251080.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4082497\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Embattled Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama [File: Florion Goga\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe will save Albania from Edi Rama, who has plunged the country into poverty and corruption,\u201d said opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet them know that even if they go behind the sun, we will find them and punish them with the full force of the law,\u201d Berisha said.<\/p>\n<p>Interior Minister Albana Kociu condemned the unrest, accusing the protesters of \u201cvandalism\u201d and saying that it was a \u201ccrime\u201d to attack police.<\/p>\n<p>Rama\u2019s Socialist Party holds a comfortable parliamentary majority in Albania after winning a fourth consecutive term last year.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Violence breaks out near parliament as demonstrators demand accountability in corruption investigation linked to deputy prime minister. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a02 mins info Published On 21 Feb 202621 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Police in the Albanian capital, Tirana, fired tear gas and used water cannon as protesters clashed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}