European Democratic Party Backs Protests in Tirana: Neither High Temperatures Could Stop Citizens, Rama and Berisha Offer No Answers

The mass protests taking place in Albania have continued to attract attention beyond the country’s borders. The European Democratic Party has once again expressed its support for citizens who have been protesting in Tirana for months against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In a statement, the European political party praised the protesters’ persistence after they once again filled the capital’s main boulevard on the 64th consecutive day of demonstrations. According to the statement, neither the high summer temperatures, the holiday season nor fatigue has diminished citizen participation.

The European Democratic Party said the protesters’ demands concern issues that are fundamental to Albania’s future: clean institutions, protection of the coastline and a political class that takes responsibility for its choices and decisions.

A significant portion of the statement also criticized the country’s two main political forces. According to the statement, neither Edi Rama’s government nor the opposition led by Sali Berisha has offered Albanians a serious answer. This failure, it added, is one of the main reasons the citizens’ movement is being sustained and continuing to grow.

The statement described the protest as an expression of civic courage, a value that, according to the European Democratic Party, is recognized and supported by Europe. It concluded with a message of solidarity and the movement’s symbol and hashtag, #flamingorevolution.