Tirana, October 17 (Albania Journal) – Marjana Koceku’s life changed last year when Prime Minister Edi Rama personally selected her to run for Albania’s parliament. She was among a group of young lawmakers he hoped would become the public face of his Socialist Party.
This week, however, the 25-year-old, now an independent member of parliament, joined mass student protests demanding Rama’s resignation.
Anger over corruption, a lack of jobs and a widespread belief that the government is failing to serve ordinary people has intensified. The frustration erupted into violence this week as young protesters took to the streets of the capital, Tirana, setting fire to government buildings and banks and throwing paving stones at police.
The government and police have condemned the violence. According to police figures, 500 protesters have been detained, of whom 330 have been released. Around 120 police officers and 45 protesters have been injured, although the number of injured protesters is likely higher because many cases have not been recorded.
The unrest in Albania is part of a wider wave of student activism across Europe. In France, high school students have staged weeks of protests and blocked schools, demanding more teachers and better facilities.
Youth Protests Pose Growing Threat to Rama’s Rule
“The country is amazing, but … the wrong policies that have been implemented by this political elite are completely against what the Albanian communities and Albanian citizens have been asking and seeking for so long,” Koceku said during Friday’s protests, as police fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators nearby.
Rama, a former basketball player, has been in power since 2013, for roughly half of Koceku’s life. He secured a fourth term in last year’s elections, but his administration has since faced a series of corruption scandals.
Rama has denied wrongdoing and told Reuters this week that he would not resign.
“Governments are changed through democratic elections and we had them last year, not through violence,” he said.
Nevertheless, the protests represent the most serious challenge to his rule so far.
The demonstrations follow months of largely peaceful protests against plans to build a luxury resort along Albania’s unspoiled southern coastline. The project, backed in part by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, has faced legal challenges.
Villagers told Reuters in July that their land had been wrongfully sold for the development. Reuters later reported that the man who sold the land was wanted by prosecutors on suspicion of drug trafficking, allegations that his lawyer denied.
The resort controversy is not the only issue facing Rama’s government. Last year, prosecutors alleged that his deputy prime minister was involved in awarding construction contracts to favoured companies. Both Rama and his deputy have denied the allegations.
“I didn’t agree, especially with the policies that they were implementing against nature, and our land and our Albania,” Koceku said.
Protesters said this week that they had turned to violence because they felt their concerns were being ignored.
The project backed by Kushner particularly angered Koceku, who has strong ties to the land. She comes from the remote mountains of northern Albania, where her family operates a modest guest house on the shore of a lake.
“Our country is the Albanian people,” she said, as the air around her filled with acrid tear gas. “They create the future, they create the now, and they are the ones who can bring our country forward. Not a single person, not a single government.”
