A person holds a flare as members of parliament from the Democratic Party, Albania’s biggest Opposition party, protest against the government inside the parliament in Tirana, Albania, October 29, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Opposition lawmakers in Albania disrupted a parliament session by letting off flares on Thursday (October 29, 2026) following weeks of violent anti-government protests called by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Members of the Opposition Democratic Party of Albania also blocked access to the podium when a law on the Central Bank was being voted on.
“These (ruling lawmakers) are criminals and they deserve tear gas, rubber bullets, cracked skulls and broken bones, not the young people,” Opposition leader Sali Berisha said during his speech before his microphone was cut off.
Other Opposition members surrounded him during the speech, holding photos of protesters injured by rubber bullets. Some held aloft blue flares, the colour of their party.
Student-led demonstrations, fuelled by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards, have engulfed central Tirana since mid-October and spread to other cities.
Demonstrators demanding Mr. Rama’s resignation have set fire to government buildings and banks, smashed shop windows and pulled up paving stones to throw at police.
The unrest, which followed months of largely peaceful summer protests against a luxury coastal development backed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, poses the biggest challenge yet to Mr. Rama, who has governed since 2013 and won a fourth term in office last year.
On Sunday (October 25, 2026), Mr. Rama introduced new measures to curb violence, including fines of 500,000 lek ($6,200) for anyone who participates in a protest that turns violent, even if they do not personally commit acts of violence.
This week the protests were mainly peaceful, and another is planned for Saturday (October 31, 2026).
Prime Minister Rama has again called on students for dialogue and introduced new economic measures such as cheaper fuel and more money for poor families in an attempt to stop the violence in the streets.
Published – October 29, 2026 06:55 pm IST
