Prime Minister Edi Rama has responded to the protests and calls for his removal, saying that dissatisfaction in Albanian society is also linked to rising citizens’ expectations. According to him, the country has moved from a period when votes were secured through promises or minor interventions in communities to a reality in which demands on the government are much greater.
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Rama recalled a time when, in his view, simply sending trucks loaded with gravel to a neighborhood or village was enough to win residents’ support. He said people saw this as a gift for which they should be grateful, but added that this period had ended long ago.
The prime minister linked the change in expectations to the country’s development and the greater opportunities available to citizens. He said the former expression, “It could be worse; thank goodness we’re doing well,” had been replaced by the belief that “it can be better too, period, end of story.” Rama described this as a positive sign, but at the same time acknowledged that governing becomes more challenging in such a period.
He also referred to the concept of the “revolution of rising expectations,” which he associates with Tocqueville, citing changes in the water supply as an example. According to Rama, Albania is now entering a phase in which citizens’ expectations have risen significantly and their impatience is considerable.
Speaking about the protests, the prime minister also addressed the role of technology and social media in intensifying tensions. He described the situation as a “perfect storm,” created by the convergence of many factors at the same time, which also gave the protest a certain grandeur.
Rama claimed that algorithms and social platforms had influenced the climate that emerged, saying that thousands of “soldiers” produced in technology laboratories, with Albanian faces and names, had attacked the country’s digital space and heightened tensions.
He described the protest as being driven by an “angry mob of losers,” presenting the situation as a clash between citizens’ new expectations and political developments in the country.
