
Flash News
Car plows into crowd in Munich, 28 injured, including children
Berisha: We will vote on the changes to the Electoral Code, Rama concluded that the diaspora vote is against him
A student is injured with a knife at a school in Mati
Berisha denounces: Rama sent Veliaj to a cell in Durrës to take Poja to silence him
Rama visits Veliaj at Durrës Penitentiary today
Washington Post: Why the Albanian opposition is protesting with fire and noise in the parliament
For months, Albanian opposition parties have used fire and noise to disrupt Parliament in protest at what they describe as the authoritarian rule of the ruling Socialist Party.
On Thursday, lawmakers approved the annual budget and other bills, despite opposition claims that leftist socialists have blocked the creation of commissions to investigate allegations of government corruption.
The unrest began in October shortly before prosecutors charged Sali Berisha, 79, a former prime minister and former president and now head of the center-right Democratic Party, with corruption in connection with a land-buying scheme that is under legal investigation in capital, Tirana. .
Opposition MPs regularly crowd chairs, use flares, light small fires and even physically grab microphones when their Socialist counterparts take the floor.
The ruling Socialists, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, have 74 of the 140 seats in Parliament, enough to approve the 2024 budget in an eight-minute vote and then close the session.
The opposition vows to increase its struggle until its right to create investigative commissions is accepted. The split in the Parliament could be an obstacle to much needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU. Last year, the bloc agreed to start membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. After 18 months of verification, Brussels said that Albania is ready to take the next step and start negotiations for separate chapters. Albania is a member of NATO since 2009.
Why is the Opposition protesting?
The opposition is protesting the use of Public Private Partnership, or PPP, projects initiated by the Rama Cabinet. Because the government lacks its own funds, it tenders capital projects to private companies, which then receive an annual fee for several years. The opposition claims that public money from PPPs has been misused for personal gain, and parliamentary investigative commissions will investigate suspected cases of corruption involving Rama and other senior government officials.
In September, a former Albanian environment minister was convicted and jailed, along with other officials, for taking bribes for a contract to build an incinerator. A former Socialist deputy prime minister fled the country after being accused of corruption in a case related to another incinerator. A former Socialist health minister has also been charged with corruption in connection with a 100 million euro ($100 million) PPP contract for a laboratory to sterilize and distribute medical equipment. The government says the opposition's demands are unconstitutional, following a decision by the Constitutional Court that a parliamentary commission cannot be set up while the judiciary deals with a case.
Protests have no results
After 10 years in opposition, the center-right Democratic Party is weakened and fractured, with the main faction headed by Berisha, the longest-serving politician in post-communist Albania. In May 2021, Berisha and his family members were banned by the United States from entering the country, and later the United Kingdom, due to their alleged involvement in corruption.
Prime Minister Rama says that Berisha is using what is left of the once dominant Democratic Party for his personal gain in the legal battle. Whereas before he could rally thousands of supporters at rallies, Berisha is now limited to disrupting Parliament sessions.
Any solution in Albania?
Opposition lawmakers have vowed to increase their protests, without explaining how. Berisha has called for "civil disobedience", but so far only Parliament has been suspended. Calls for rallies have failed to turn into reality.
For their part, the ruling Socialists are trying to work as normal, noting that Parliament has passed its biggest ever budget, twice the size of 2013 when the Democrats left power. Both sides are maintaining their position, with no sign of sitting down to find a solution, which in post-communist Albania has often come only after the intervention of international mediators. Translated by the Washington Post
Latest news


VOA: Arrest of mayor on corruption charges keeps political circles tense
2025-02-13 19:37:44

Source: Veliaj, catalyst to show the true face of Rama and SPAK
2025-02-13 19:10:41
Rain returns, weather forecast for tomorrow
2025-02-13 18:48:23
Why Trump chose Saudi Arabia for Putin summit
2025-02-13 18:45:00


EU to resume Kosovo-Serbia dialogue negotiations in March
2025-02-13 17:58:48
KPA dismisses judge Arben Dosti from office
2025-02-13 17:54:12
World Bank approves $120 million loan to strengthen fiscal sustainability
2025-02-13 17:31:53

Left in prison, Veliaj reacts: I was found guilty before the trial even started
2025-02-13 17:05:42


Car plows into crowd in Munich, 28 injured, including children
2025-02-13 16:35:43

The luxury purchases of Ajola Xoxa, the 'Imelda Marcos' of Tirana
2025-02-13 16:11:01
Worker falls from height at construction site in Tirana, taken to hospital
2025-02-13 16:06:36
A taxi driver in Vlora was arrested for transporting firearms
2025-02-13 15:59:20
Berisha: Rama canceled the visit to Veliaj after my denunciation
2025-02-13 15:49:37
A 30-year-old man was wounded with a gun, the young man was arrested in Lezha
2025-02-13 15:35:35
Tragic accident in Greece: 32-year-old Albanian dies, his brother-in-law injured
2025-02-13 15:28:17
"In the not too distant future!"/ Trump to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia
2025-02-13 15:18:56
Winter temperatures, rain and snow will return
2025-02-13 15:12:23
Tensions in the Parliament, plenary session postponed to Monday
2025-02-13 14:57:10
Spahia: Benet Beci should join Erion Veliaj in prison
2025-02-13 14:50:24

Stabbed in the ribs inside school, 17-year-old taken by helicopter to Trauma
2025-02-13 14:38:26





Balla provokes the opposition, Noka reacts harshly, the guards intervene
2025-02-13 13:30:24
Tensions in the Parliament/ Noka, Bardhi and Doda attempt to block the rostrum
2025-02-13 13:18:24
Trump says his phone call with Putin brings the parties closer to peace talks
2025-02-13 13:17:49




Bacterial meningitis outbreak, parents refuse to send children to school
2025-02-13 12:27:05


Political elections in Kosovo - a lesson for the mother country
2025-02-13 12:02:32
A student is injured with a knife at a school in Mati
2025-02-13 12:02:19



What is Rama trying to hide with his hysteria?
2025-02-13 11:32:22
Rama deletes all photos with Alex Soros on Instagram
2025-02-13 11:20:03
Rama visits Veliaj at Durrës Penitentiary today
2025-02-13 11:19:51


Sula: 'Mountains Package' is being used for electoral purposes
2025-02-13 10:51:59

Rama lands for the third time within a week at the Municipality of Tirana
2025-02-13 10:21:56
SPAK requests 3 years in prison for Jorgo Goro
2025-02-13 10:10:13
GJKKO left him in prison, Erion Veliaj arrives at Durrës Penitentiary
2025-02-13 09:56:53

Serious accident on the Lezhë-Shëngjin axis, the number of victims rises to two
2025-02-13 09:39:20
Births fell drastically in 2024, the lowest number in 90 years
2025-02-13 09:27:04
Pressures and threats against justice are "standard" for Rama
2025-02-13 09:21:06
Rama: If you don't defend Edi Rama and the SP, forget about SPAK
2025-02-13 09:15:20
Berisha meets with diaspora in Parma on February 22
2025-02-13 09:12:09

DW Analysis: Is Russia Trying to Influence the Elections in Germany?
2025-02-13 08:55:57
Foreign exchange, February 13, 2025
2025-02-13 08:50:32

Horoscope, what do the stars have in store for you?
2025-02-13 08:24:02

Rain with thunderstorms, what is the weather forecast for this Thursday?
2025-02-13 08:00:41
Morning Post/ In 2 lines: What mattered yesterday in Albania
2025-02-13 07:47:43




27-year-old man suspected of killing himself with gunfire
2025-02-12 21:47:42

Tragic accident in Kosovo, one person loses life
2025-02-12 21:22:17
Hearing against Veliaj, lawyers request release with financial guarantee
2025-02-12 21:12:45
Veliaj in court session: Cursed be he who works in this country
2025-02-12 20:57:15

Taylor Swift thanks Grammy Awards staff with cash after ceremony
2025-02-12 20:39:20


Patient jumps from the third floor of 'Shefqet Ndroqi' hospital, dies
2025-02-12 20:05:58



Shehaj: Yuri Kim is suspended from duty and placed under investigation in the US
2025-02-12 19:19:17
Trump, Putin agree to start peace talks in Ukraine in phone call
2025-02-12 18:54:23


Berisha: Rama is Soros' 'puppet', Ajola's wardrobe is like that of Assad's wife
2025-02-12 18:23:21



After four years, Montenegro sends ambassador to Kosovo
2025-02-12 17:44:21