A Turning Point Like the End of Communism”/ Ditmir Bushati: Albania’s Protests Are Demanding Functional Democracy and Accountability

The protests that have swept across Albania were not sparked by a political program or an organized speech. The spark was a video filmed in May in the southern coastal village of Zvërnec: a peaceful protester was dragged away by private security guards as police officers stood by and machinery began work on the construction of a luxury resort backed by Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka and Jared Kushner, as well as the Albanian government.

The construction project envisages transforming a particularly important and ecologically sensitive coastal area, where flamingos nest, into an entertainment destination for the world’s wealthy. The project has touched a raw nerve in Albanian society, in a country where the majority struggle with low incomes while a privileged minority appears to be growing ever richer.

Even the land ownership documents are disputed. Overlapping claims to property are common in Albania. The person claiming to own the land has been accused of falsifying ownership documents and is being investigated by the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime for money laundering and international cocaine trafficking.

For many Albanians, what happened in Zvërnec was a summary of what had been happening for years: fences blocking access to beaches, the inability to reach the sea, people linked to organized crime appearing as intermediaries between those in power and oligarchs, and the concrete overdevelopment of the coastline. This discontent has been fueled particularly by construction in Tirana and along the coast. For citizens, these are not abstract concepts but everyday experiences requiring no ideological explanation.

Afterward, accumulated discontent erupted in a chain of reactions. For three consecutive months, thousands of Albanians have protested every day, even amid an intense heat wave, demanding greater accountability and an end to corruption. Albanians living abroad, who make up around one-third of the population, have also joined the effort.

The movement expresses a long-standing opposition to a predatory model of capitalism that develops by consuming the heritage of past generations and undermining the opportunities of those to come. In this sense, the Zvërnec project is both the limit of people’s patience and a reflection of how many Albanians view the country’s governance.

The anger it has provoked has fueled a broad discussion about Albania’s future: its development model, the way decisions are made, and whether those in power genuinely act in the interests of citizens.

The events may mark a turning point in Albania’s history, comparable to the fall of communism and the collapse of its control over politics, culture and everyday life. Many of those leading the daily protests were born after 1990. They were not shaped by the fear and reflexes of the communist era, but in an open Albania, where they have traveled, studied and built ties with Europe and the rest of the world.

These young people do not judge Albania solely in relation to its past. They measure it against the potential they believe the country can fulfill.

Their program is neither radical nor rooted in an ideology. They are demanding a democracy that works, leaders who consider themselves servants of citizens, trustworthy institutions, open decision-making and equal enforcement of the law. They also want public assets to be managed for the benefit of the majority, not a privileged group.

The government has yet to respond to the protesters’ demands and has been unable to halt the movement. Its response may be interpreted as a retreat, but it could just as easily be seen as political theater. In June, protesters were described as part of a hybrid-warfare manipulation, as an “algorithmic proletariat” or as people driven by simple hostility.

In July, the government changed its approach without entirely abandoning its earlier narrative. It acknowledged only part of the diagnosis and offered an equally partial response. The attempt to use the language of the protest, without abandoning the project or reconsidering the development model that produced this discontent, failed.

It is equally important to establish what these demonstrations do not represent. Despite the intense focus on the Trump family and the resort, the protests are not against foreign investment, nor are they against a luxury resort as such.

This is a leaderless civic revolt directed against the way power is exercised, as well as a clear warning that public anger can no longer be ignored.

Albania remains perhaps the most pro-American society in Europe. This stance has been shaped by decades of friendship and gratitude toward the United States, as well as by a strong commitment to the Euro-Atlantic alliance. Albanians understand that foreign investment, tourism and private enterprise are essential to economic growth.

The debate concerns the conditions under which this development should take place: transparency, accountability and citizens’ trust. These principles do not hinder foreign investment; in the long term, they are among the most important guarantees of its success.

The flamingo, which has become a symbol of the protests, represents only one part of a much broader concern. The movement expresses the conviction that Albania’s natural heritage, public institutions and future must be managed responsibly.

For the first time, Albanians appear to be shaping the national debate without waiting for political parties to take the lead. The history of democracies shows that democracy rests not only on elections but also on the active engagement of citizens between them.

What is happening in Albania is not merely a domestic issue and must be viewed in closer connection with the process of European integration. For years, Albania’s path toward EU membership has been assessed through concerns related to the rule of law, corruption, oligarchic state capture, organized crime and weak institutions.

It is precisely in these areas that protesters are demanding change. They are acting as responsible citizens of a democracy. For this reason, the EU’s institutional silence should be replaced by strict but fair oversight that supports Albanian society in meeting European standards.

Since the fall of communism in 1990, Albania has made extraordinary progress. It has become a member of NATO, deepened its partnership with the United States, played the role of an anchor of stability in Southeastern Europe and steadily drawn closer to the European Union.

The success of the next phase will depend on another condition: economic growth must advance alongside institutions that enjoy public trust and a political culture that accepts accountability rather than viewing it as a threat.

By Ditmir Bushati