A new political alternative could emerge from the square,” Xhemalaj says: We expect mass student participation; the protest will continue until Rama resigns

Activist Ilir Xhemalaj said that increasing participation by students and young people remains one of the protest’s main objectives.

During an interview in the News24 studio with journalist Daljana Sejdia, he explained that Monday’s march toward Qyteti Studenti was held specifically to reach out to young people and encourage them to channel their energy into the protest.

“We expect students to become strongly involved in the protest. Today’s rally was aimed at them, which is why we marched toward Qyteti Studenti. This movement began with young people, and we want their energy to be focused on the square until Rama is ousted,” Xhemalaj said.

He also criticized the opposition and Sali Berisha, stressing that the protest should not be defined by political affiliations. He said anyone seeking the prime minister’s departure should take part in the rallies.

“We are talking about an 80-year-old system. We are up against Rama and Berisha, who has so far stayed away from the square. If they aim to oust Rama, both sides should be in the square. In the early days, we saw many public administration employees there, Socialists and Democrats. The government has managed to blackmail them, so today we called on everyone to join us. Young people must come out into the square, because they have nothing left to wait for,” he said.

Xhemalaj said that, after 121 days, the protest has entered a more mature phase. He added that the groups and individuals involved now have the capacity to build a more structured organization.

“Many changes have taken place since the first day. The protest has matured, while the groups and figures involved have moved beyond the initial phase. There is now the maturity and willingness to move forward with a new organization. The political groups of the future could emerge from this,” the activist said.

He said the movement should serve as the foundation for creating a political alternative. Xhemalaj considered it unlikely that Rama would voluntarily leave office.

“Given the state of the opposition, while the dictator has become a wounded animal and is therefore more dangerous than ever, an alternative is needed. I do not believe Rama will resign, because a dictator never leaves power of his own accord,” he said.

However, the activist stressed that a change in political leadership must take place through elections, rather than by taking power through other means.

“A political movement must emerge from the protest, and then it must contest elections. Power is won only through elections, not from the square or by any other route,” Xhemalaj concluded.