Violent clashes erupted across the Albanian capital on Thursday as student-led demonstrations against systemic corruption, deteriorating education standards, and a controversial luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner turned into a major political crisis, prompting the suspension of parliament.
Despite escalating street confrontation and calls for his immediate resignation, Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected demands to step down, insisting his administration must maintain governance stability.
Riot police deployed tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons in central Tirana after demonstrators smashed windows of government buildings, dismantled traffic infrastructure, and set trash dumpsters ablaze to barricade major thoroughfares. The intensity of the clashes forced the Speaker of Parliament to abruptly suspend the legislative session. Eyewitnesses reported heavy-handed police batons used against demonstrators in front of foreign tourists near historic Skanderbeg Square.
Beyond the capital, protests spread rapidly to major urban centers including Shkodra, Durrës, Elbasan, Kukës, and the southern port city of Vlorë.
Public anger has coalesced around prime coastal land in southern Albania, where local residents allege ancestral property was expropriated without due process to facilitate high-end tourism ventures linked to Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The land disputes have exacerbated simmering discontent over runaway living costs, widespread patronage, and opaque public recruitment.
“Corruption is embedded across every level of the administration,” said Chiara, a protesting student in Tirana. “Without political connections, merit means nothing in securing public employment.”
Speaking to Reuters, Rama dismissed resignation demands, warning that dissolving the government would derail Albania’s historic bid to join the European Union by 2028. While Albania has been viewed as a frontrunner among Western Balkan candidates for EU accession, recent domestic unrest and governance controversies have drawn intensified international scrutiny.
The European Union Delegation in Albania urged all sides to exercise restraint, refrain from further violence, and engage in constructive dialogue.
Sources: Reuters, Local Albanian Media Reports, and International Wire Services.