Protesters in Albania hurled Molotov cocktails and launched fireworks at the Prime Minister’s office in Tirana over a recent corruption scandal involving many government representatives.
On Friday, the protesters, led by members of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party (PD), gathered in the tiny Balkan country’s capital. The protests are ongoing in the country, as hundreds of demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the left-wing Prime Minister Edi Rama.
During the Friday clashes with police officers, the protesters threw incendiary projectiles at the government headquarters and at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The clashes, as per local reports, lasted for several hours.
Speaking at the rally, PD leader and former Prime Minister SaliBerisha denounced Rama as a “political corpse".
“We will save Albania from Edi Rama, who has plunged the country into poverty and corruption,” Berisha said.
He said that the demonstrations had been going peacefully before government forces intervened and escalated the situation. He accused police of firing tear gas at the courtyard of his party’s office.
The country’s Interior Minister, TaulantBalla, accused the opposition leaders of intentionally inciting violence and urged them to call on their supporters to refrain from actions that could “endanger citizens, police and journalists".
Several former ministers in Rama's government have been targeted by corruption investigations.
According to recent investigations, Berisha is accused of awarding public contracts to associates when he was in power, but he has denied the accusations.
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