Albania’s protesting students demand political change and resignation of longtime Prime Minister Rama amid wider unrest

Students take to the streets

Tirana’s university lecture halls have emptied as students skip classes to protest. Their complaints include university conditions, the price of higher education and limited job prospects after graduation.

At a demonstration, 22-year-old economics master’s student Samanta described struggling to afford housing. She said she shares rent with people she does not know and earns a salary far below the cost of an apartment in the city’s new towers.

Students say their central demand is for the government to step down. They have rejected negotiations with Rama over their other demands while he remains prime minister.

A wider movement turns violent

Protests in Albania began in late May as part of the anti-government movement known as the Flamingo Revolution. It first arose in response to a multimillion-euro tourism project associated with Jared Kushner in the protected coastal area of Zvernec, then developed into a broader challenge to the government.

During three days of student demonstrations, clashes brought fires and tear gas to Tirana. Bins, businesses, buildings and banks were set alight, with some structures burning out completely.

Rama rejects calls to resign

Rama did not speak publicly during the first two days of the student demonstrations. On Thursday morning, he released a video recorded inside the fire-damaged College of Europe building, near his office, and blamed the opposition for the violence.

Later, he rejected the protesters’ demand that he resign, telling Reuters that governments change through elections. The next day, he also alleged that foreign actors were trying to block Albania’s path toward EU membership.

Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha denied that his party was responsible for the violence and backed the protests. He urged Rama to resign, while also mocking the prime minister’s claims of foreign interference.

Political discontent runs deeper

The protests come at a consequential point in Albania’s effort to join the European Union. Brussels has called for restraint and dialogue, warning against further escalation. Rigels Xhemollari of Civic Resistance described the student revolt as the result of months of peaceful demonstrations, along with economic hardship and corruption investigations involving senior officials. He said the government’s response and its treatment of demonstrators had added to public anger.

Some demonstrators say their frustration extends beyond Rama to the wider political establishment. Journalism student Skerdi Topalli said protesters want new leaders and a break with the political class of the past 35 years.