Protesters demanded the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama
Thousands of people are protesting in a tense atmosphere in front of the Albanian government building in Tirana today, and security forces have repeatedly used tear gas and water cannons to repel them, a French news agency reporter said.
Two police officers were injured and are being treated while four protesters had respiratory problems and needed treatment, the Ministry of Health announced, as broadcast by the Athens News Agency.
Responding to a call from the opposition, protesters demanded the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Eddie Rama, who has been in power since 2013 and is accused of "corruption". They repeatedly violated the police cordon and occupied the courtyard in front of the government headquarters.
A group of about XNUMX protesters initially hurled smoke and stones at the government building, which is guarded by major police forces. Protesters shouted "Rama, leave!"
The windows of the building were broken by the stones thrown by the protesters. About a dozen protesters also tried to enter the building trying to break through the front door, but were repulsed by police inside.
"The situation is out of control," Lulzim Bassa, leader of the center-right main opposition party, told reporters in the crowd.
He accused police of allowing protesters to approach the building to "force them out" and allowed Eddie Rama to "accuse the opposition of this violence".
Thousands protested early in the afternoon in front of the government headquarters, according to a French News Agency reporter.
Eddie Rama, 54, who began his second term as prime minister in 2017, announced yesterday that he would not be in Tirana during the protest. He was to go to Avlona, his constituency, for a "dialogue" with the residents about the "development of the city".
Rama is being challenged by the main opposition party, the center-right Democratic Party, which has already staged similar protests without causing significant problems for its government.
"February 16 will be the last day of Rama's rule. This regime must be overthrown at all costs, "Democratic Party leader Lulzim Bassa said on Wednesday during a rally of his supporters.
Accusing Rama of "complicity in organized crime" and of "plunging the country into corruption and poverty", the opposition, which consists of five center-right and center-left parties, is calling for a technocratic government to be formed. early elections.
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