The clashes that broke out in Albania on October 13 have returned to the streets of Tirana after three days of relative calm, between Wednesday and Friday. During this kind of truce, Prime Minister Edi Rama placed chairs and concrete blocks in front of the headquarters of the Government headquarters with the word “dialogue.” But the young protesters destroyed the chairs considering that Rama's intention is only to stay in power. The Democratic Party, the majority opposition party, called a rally this Saturday at eleven in the morning in front of the president's office. But at two in the afternoon the mobilization organized by the young people arrived and led to clashes with the police. Activists demand Rama's resignation and accuse the Democratic Party of being complicit in maintaining a "mafioso" system.
Gresa Hasa, a researcher at the University of Graz (Austria), an expert on the Balkans, warns that these revolts should not be interpreted as “a sudden eruption of anger” on the part of young people, but as “a continuation of peaceful demonstrations” that began at the end of May, in the so-called Flemish revolution. That movement was born in response to the Government's intention to sell territory of a nature reserve where several species of birds are protected. The project was associated in the local press with Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The analyst assures that while the international media covered the protests, the Government was “very reluctant” to use force. “But the moment the international journalists withdrew, in late July and August, police violence resumed.”
Albania suffered under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha (1944-1985), one of the most oppressive and secretive communist regimes in the East. State Security, known as Sigurimi, had the population terrified and had tens of thousands of confidants in a country of less than three million inhabitants. After the fall of the communist regime in 1991, the Democratic Party, founded by Sali Berisha, won the parliamentary elections of 1992. Berisha marked the life of the country as president (1992-1997), opposition leader (1997-2005) and prime minister (2005-2013). Today, at 82 years old, Berisha continues to be the leader of the Democratic Party and the main leader of the opposition to Rama.
Albanian Socialist Party MP Arbjan Mazniku, 47, one of Rama's closest men, believes part of the cause of the street riots is because the opposition is "weak." "We won the elections a year ago with 53% of the votes; so there is 47% of the population that doesn't like us. But those people don't find their points of view represented by the opposition."
Near the office of the socialist Mazniku, in front of the Government headquarters, the Geology professor Gabriel Rakaj, 27, and member of the small leftist party Movimiento Juntos, demonstrated on Thursday. Rakaj assures that Rama's formation and Berisha's Democratic Party collaborate "behind the scenes." He points out that leaders of both groups own properties in residential complexes in the south of the country. According to Rakaj, in these urban developments the interests of the parties with the most votes coincide with those of organized crime networks that “launder their capital” in these real estate developments.
Rakaj maintains that corruption permeates all sectors of society. And that this is reflected in daily life: "You can graduate with very good results from university, but unless you have some connection in the ruling party or are a member of it, you do not find a good position, at least not in the Administration. And the health system is deeply corrupted at all levels. You have to first go to the ATM to withdraw some money before going to the hospital. As for the infrastructure, you see that every road, every bridge, every dam has some problem; why? Because “It steals money from the approved funds and budgets; and it does not steal a small percentage, but 30% or 40%.”
Among more than a dozen activists consulted this week, none condemned the attacks on public buildings that occurred in the previous days. Geopolitics professor Ilir Aliaj, 56, pointed out that they had demonstrated for 135 days in an “extremely peaceful” manner. "We want to decide for our country and not have a criminal organization decide for us. These young people only have to emigrate or become members of one of the main parties, which is not an option for them. Many of these boys and girls have parents who have emigrated to somewhere in Europe and they only see them once a year."
Aliaj compared the destruction of the students with the money for which the former socialist deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku is being investigated. "Balluku is being investigated for 120 million euros in public tenders. I don't know if that money went to her pocket or to Rama's. I only know, as a citizen, that they have taken 120 million euros from us. The Government violates us every day by putting its hands in our pockets and keeping our money for its large chalets, its luxurious lives and to help organized crime. And don't we have the right to protest?"
The protesters denounce, as in other European countries, the high level of rents, the deterioration of education and public health. But unlike other EU countries, in Albania protests constantly refer to the “mafia” and “organized crime groups”.
Socialist MP Mazniku claims, however, that Albania is one of the safest places in Europe. And that there is a high visibility of corruption “because it is fought” by a special Prosecutor's Office created almost seven years ago. "I'm not saying that there is no organized crime; there is, and it has been fought, but the mafia does not govern the country; this is a place where there is organized crime, just like in Italy, Spain, and there is a continuous fight between the Government, the State and organized crime, like in other places in the world."
This newspaper requested to interview Rama, but the prime minister's press team only accepted written questions. In his responses, provided on Friday, the president describes the protests as “a hybrid war, with anti-government sentiment fueled by Antifa, a decentralized anti-fascist movement, along with radicalized groups and criminal elements.” He maintains that the Executive is already responding to some demands, and cites a bill that would cover “50% of the rent of students who meet certain requirements.” But he warns that he will not negotiate “under the threat of violence.”
Regarding emigration, Rama denies that half a million people have left the country since he came to power in 2013, as many students maintain. And he assures that before he took office, Albania's GDP “was less than 10 billion euros” and “today it is around 27 billion.” He maintains that “annual foreign direct investment has gone from between 300 and 400 million euros to more than 1,600 million.” And that “tourism has also grown significantly.” In the responses provided by his spokesperson, the prime minister refers to the chairs he placed on the street with the word “dialogue” and states: “The invitation remains open.”
On Friday, dozens of medical students and doctors in white coats demonstrated outside their offices. Anxhela, a 30-year-old doctor who came with three colleagues to support the students, said that the majority of the population supports the protests, but assumes that in the end there are relatively few who demonstrate. "There is a lot of fear," he said, "but we have to overcome it. Because being neutral now means being with the Government. And we need to rebuild everything, with different people and a different mentality."
