Albanian student protests spread beyond Tirana as demonstrators demand Edi Rama resign
Thousands marched in Tirana on October 16 as the student-led campaign continued. Reuters reported protests in other Albanian cities, while demonstrators pressed grievances over education and government accountability.
Thousands of young Albanians marched through Tirana on October 16 as student-led protests demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation continued for a fourth day. Reuters reported demonstrations beyond the capital, extending a campaign over education, jobs and the government’s response to months of protest.
Students have boycotted classes in Tirana, leaving university lecture halls empty, DW reported. It said they were angry about conditions at universities, the cost of higher education and poor prospects for work after graduation. Protesters also accuse officials of corruption and object to a planned luxury resort development on Albania’s coast, according to Reuters.
How the protests spread beyond Tirana
Reuters reported that protesters broke windows and traffic lights during Friday’s march in Tirana. It described a riot in the capital on Thursday, when protesters smashed windows, raided a bank and clashed with police. DW reported fires and tear gas during clashes over the preceding three days.
In the coastal town of Lezha, police clashed with protesters throwing stones, Reuters reported. It said local media also reported unrest in Elbasan, Shkodra and Korca, including broken windows and burning rubbish bins. Some businesses in Tirana closed their shutters and displayed signs asking demonstrators not to damage their premises.
DW reported 152 arrests and 324 people under investigation over three days of protests. It also reported that police said 71 officers had been injured. Injuries were reported among protesters as well, DW said.
Why students are demanding Rama’s resignation
The demonstrations follow months of mostly peaceful protests that students say the government ignored, Reuters reported. A 19-year-old protester who gave her name as Klea told Reuters they had protested peacefully for 140 days without being heard. The movement has grown from opposition to the coastal development into a broader challenge to Rama’s government, according to DW.
Students want the government to step down before negotiating their other demands with Rama, DW reported. Rigels Xhemollari of Civic Resistance told DW that the prime minister’s resignation was the protest’s sole political demand. He called for political parties to form a caretaker government led by a non-partisan prime minister ahead of elections.
Rama, who has been prime minister since 2013 and won a fourth term last year, has rejected the demand to resign. DW reported that he told Reuters governments change through elections. Responding to the unrest on Facebook, Rama wrote, ‘We will not bow to violence,’ according to Reuters.
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Sources and context
- Albania: Protesting students demand political change and resignation of longtime Prime Minister Edi RamaDeutsche Welle (DW)
- Thousands march in Albanian capital as anti-government protests spreadReuters, republished by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.