Albanians Won’t Stop / Today Marks the 92nd Day of Resistance; Citizens: We Won’t Leave Without Rama’s Resignation

Today marks the 92nd day of the citizen protest against the government and Prime Minister Edi Rama, as citizens continue to gather in Tirana, demanding the prime minister’s resignation and a change to the political system.

The protest continues after 91 consecutive days of civic mobilization, during which demonstrators have marched from Skanderbeg Square toward the Prime Minister’s Office and delivered messages against the government.

The protesters’ main demand remains Edi Rama’s resignation, while their platform also includes the formation of a transitional government with a 12-month mandate and a change in the country’s political course.

Last night’s protest featured speeches, placards and strong political messages against the government. Protesters criticized the way the country is being governed and called for Rama to step down.

Placards bearing ironic messages directed at the prime minister and the governing majority were also displayed in the square, including: “Time does not tire us; it makes us stronger,” while another read: “You shut yourselves away in villas and weave deceitful plans; we are in the square, facing wrongdoing with civil placards.”

One of the protesters said that, in his view, the citizens’ resistance had broken records for protests held since 1991. He said citizens were ready to remain in the square for another 900 days, until the prime minister’s resignation. Another protester delivered a message that, according to him, came from the diaspora, calling for the unification of all social and professional groups. He warned that if the situation did not change, Albania could face another exodus.

Pensioners were also part of the protest’s messages. An elderly man called on Rama to resign and demanded measures for pensioners and people with disabilities, while also calling for an investigation into officials whom he accused of abuses.

During the protest, accusations were also heard against the police and other institutions, while one protester said that there were also honest officers and cited the arrest of wanted individuals as examples of police action.

After the speeches outside the Prime Minister’s Office ended, citizens began marching through the streets of Tirana, continuing their chants against the government and their demand for Edi Rama’s resignation.