The French News Agency (AFP) has echoed the opposition protest in Tirana, this Saturday, January 24, 2026.
"Organized crime and corruption are the main issues preventing Albania from joining the European Union," AFP writes.
There were riots in the Albanian capital on Saturday between police and opposition protesters, who accuse Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demand his resignation, an AFP journalist reported.
The protest, led by opposition leader and former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, gathered thousands of people in a rally in front of the main government building in Tirana.
Berisha, leader of the right-wing Democratic Party, called on supporters to "unite to overthrow this government and establish a caretaker government to prepare early, free and fair elections."
After the speeches, some protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Clashes erupted when groups of protesters marched towards parliament, where they attempted to break through police cordons, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.
The police responded again with tear gas and water cannons.
At least 10 police officers suffered minor injuries, a police statement said.
According to Berisha, 25 protesters were arrested.
"This is the last kilometer towards the end of Edi Rama's regime," he told supporters outside his party headquarters after the protest, vowing to continue the battle.
Albanian politics is characterized by harsh verbal attacks, with right-wing and left-wing parties exchanging insults and accusations of corruption and links to organized crime.
In November, an anti-corruption court suspended the deputy prime minister and close ally of Rama for her role as a suspect in a corruption case related to public procurement.
Belinda Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, has denied the allegations, while Rama described her suspension as "a brutal act of interference in the independence of the executive."
At the government's request, the Constitutional Court in December temporarily reinstated Balluk, pending the final decision.
A parliamentary committee is expected to consider on Wednesday the request of prosecutors against corruption and organized crime to lift her immunity, which would enable her arrest.
Organized crime and corruption are the main issues preventing Albania from joining the European Union.
The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, was arrested in February last year on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
Two other former ministers who served under Rama's government have been accused of embezzlement and abuse of office.
Former Prime Minister and former President Ilir Meta was arrested in October 2024, also on charges of corruption and money laundering.
