Rama No Longer Seen as a “Godfather”/ Andi Tepelena: The Three Victories of the Protest and the Plans for September

For 43 days, Albanians have continued their civic revolt, demanding the overthrow of the government and the unconditional resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Andi Tepelena, who is part of the organizing group, said in an interview with “News24” that the citizens’ gatherings have affected the country’s political atmosphere and brought down the idea of an untouchable prime minister.

According to him, one of the most important signs of this protest is the disappearance of fear about taking to the square. He also warned that an expansion of the movement is expected in September, following the work being carried out with interest groups.

“As for the achievements of the protest, the fear of protesting was killed off; until recently, there were no protests over anything. Society was reawakened. Until a month ago, if you spoke about Rama, he was all-powerful, he was a ‘Godfather,’ he was all-powerful because he had opened up all the links. Today he is discredited in the eyes of Albanians, as people from the left and the right come to the square every day, while the world’s media lead with headlines about what is happening in Albania and the government’s corruption.

The protest is sustainable; there is nothing that can frighten us. In September there will be greater organization; we are in contact with interest groups and university lecturers. We are working on expanding the interest groups. In September we expect the protest to multiply,” he said.