After Berisha finished a speech outside the Prime Minister’s office on Dëshmorët e Kombit boulevard, some of his supporters began throwing incendiary devices toward riot police who were protecting the building. Police responded immediately with water canons and dispersed the crowd.
Later, protesters regrouped near the Parliament of Albania and the Mosque of Namazgah. Running street battles took place for several hours.
The unrest is the latest escalation in a months-long campaign to remove Prime Minister Edi Rama, who leads the country’s governing Socialist Party. Berisha and the DP are demanding Rama’s immediate resignation and the installation of a transitional “technical government” to oversee future elections.
The movement gained significant momentum following the recent suspension and investigation of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is accused of corruption related to major state infrastructure projects.
Opposition leaders argue that the current administration has created a “legal shield” to protect corrupt officials, claiming that fair democratic processes are no longer possible under Rama’s decade-long leadership.