Some of His Closest Political Allies Have Been Put Under SPAK Investigation / Rama to BBC: The Protests Are a Sign of a Democratic Society

BBC has dedicated an article to the latest developments the country is facing, and in connection with this it also obtained a statement from Prime Minister Edi Rama.

BBC notes that the protest, which began over nature, ended up expressing accumulated dissatisfaction over the education system, healthcare, wages and the cost of living.

For 34 days, Albanian citizens have been demanding Prime Minister Rama’s resignation from the government, while one of their demands is also the creation of a technical government.

BBC writes that Rama describes the protests as a sign of a healthy and democratic society.

The head of government was asked whether citizens should be concerned about his integrity and that of the government. During an interview with the British media outlet, the prime minister says that justice reform represents one of the Socialist Party’s most important contributions to the country.

“This is the greatest contribution the Socialist Party will give to this country, because it will not contribute only by carrying out reforms, but by giving its own skin to the country,” the prime minister said.

The article underlines that public anger has now spread, bringing broader concerns about the way Albania is developing and how it is being governed.

The full article from BBC:

At first they were protesting about flamingos, now the crowds in the streets below Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office have begun chanting about schools, jobs and living standards too – and demanding that he resign. The pink migratory birds became the symbol of the nightly gatherings in Albania because they gather in the Narta Lagoon, a protected area near the coastal city of Vlora.

A group of international investors – including US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner – want to develop a luxury resort nearby, and the government has granted them “special investor” status. There is still no building permit and Rama’s government says an environmental impact assessment has not even begun, but fences and bulldozers have been seen at the site.

Small-scale local protests over the potential environmental impact spread nationwide a month ago, when a video of private security guards beating a protester spread on social media. The incident has been confirmed by the prime minister.

Anger has now spread, bringing broader concerns about the way Albania is developing – and how it is being governed.

“I am here for our schools,” a young protester called Helena tells the BBC.

“I am here for our hospitals, I am here for our infrastructure, I am here for my family that is outside [Albania] and wanted to be here. And for all of this, I am mainly here for myself, because I want to stay in my country and I do not want to leave.”

Rama and his Socialist Party have been in power for 13 years. Many things have changed in Albania during that time.

The skyline of the capital, Tirana, has been transformed, with a host of towers designed mostly by international architects.

At the same time, the tourism industry has boomed – transforming the country’s international image and accounting for more than a fifth of GDP.

Perhaps most impressive of all is that Albania has made significant progress towards EU membership. From a standing start in 2022, it is on track to complete accession negotiations by the end of next year.

Of the six countries in the Western Balkans, only Montenegro is further ahead – and it has been in talks for a decade longer.

But that does not cut much ice with prominent protester Fatos Lubonja. The writer and human rights activist served 17 years in a forced labour camp during the rule of the notorious communist dictator, Enver Hoxha.

Now, he claims, the current government is backed by “oligarchs, organised crime, the media and corrupt internationals” – and that the construction boom is nothing more than money laundering.

“We want to push justice to investigate,” he says, pointing to the huge new buildings surrounding Tirana’s central Skanderbeg Square.

“If you look at all these skyscrapers, it turns out that this is a plan by organised crime, plus the oligarchs, plus state officials.”

Pausing for a quiet moment in his office in the middle of the afternoon – before the nightly protests began – Rama characterises the protests as a sign of a healthy and democratic society.

But some of his closest political allies have been placed under investigation by Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutors (SPAK), including his former deputy and the mayor of Tirana.

So should Albanians also be concerned about the prime minister’s integrity?

“I have said it since day one: I want a justice system that does not look left, does not look right, but looks straight,” Rama says. “Justice that cannot be bought, cannot be pressured and cannot be controlled from a distance.

“And I have also said that this is the greatest contribution the Socialist Party will give to this country, because it will not contribute only by carrying out reforms, but by giving its own skin to the country.”

But Albania’s newest member of parliament has decided that cooperating with the Socialist Party is no longer the solution. Rama carefully selected 25-year-old Majana Koceku as a candidate for last year’s elections, after she built a reputation as an environmental activist in the northern district of Shkodra.

Now she has left the party, saying that her youth meant that “she could not stay there, applaud the government and pretend that nothing was happening”. She adds that Rama is a big part of the problem.

“He no longer inspires people – and I think this has led him into a major crisis of legitimacy. It took me some time to understand that beyond these beautiful facades that look so beautiful and shiny, reality is not the same. And people are understanding this more and more every day.”

For the moment, there seems to be a restrained standoff. The protesters are not going anywhere – and neither is Rama. So the flamingos are likely to remain a familiar sight on the streets of Tirana.