The Spanish newspaper “El Correo” has devoted an article to the protest against Prime Minister Edi Rama, which has now been ongoing for 58 days. Albanians are unanimously demanding the prime minister’s departure.

“The spark of anger, which has turned into daily demonstrations on the streets of the capital, Tirana, erupted several months ago, although the origins of the operation date back to 2024,” El Correo writes.

The article follows:

Edi Rama can boast that he has catapulted Albania’s economy through tourism during his time as prime minister. In 2013, when he came to power, around 3 million travelers arrived. In 2025, there were more than 12 million, four times as many. But the Socialist leader wants more and now aims to position the Balkan nation—which is promoted as the European Caribbean and owes part of its appeal to its affordable prices—as a luxury destination.

But that ambition has backfired since the Trump family’s interest in pursuing it through two multimillion-euro tourism projects became known. Their plans have triggered the largest wave of protests in the country since the fall of communism in the early 1990s and directly threaten Rama’s leadership. He refuses to take “a step back,” even over Albania’s membership in the European Union.

The spark of anger, which has turned into daily demonstrations on the streets of the capital, Tirana, erupted several months ago, although the origins of the operation date back to 2024.

That year, Rama’s government granted special investor status to the firm behind the controversial real estate initiative: Affinity Partners, the investment fund linked to Jared Kushner, Trump’s “first son-in-law”—through his daughter Ivanka—who conceived the Gaza of the future, filled with skyscrapers overlooking the sea.

The businessman had placed two tourism projects on the Albanian prime minister’s desk.

One is a resort on the island of Sazan, a former communist military base that is now uninhabited, at a cost of around 1.400 billion euros.

The other is valued at 4.000 billion euros and would be built in the protected Vjosa-Narta wetlands, near Zvërnec, which are owned by the Qatari brothers—and Kushner’s partners—Ramez and Mohamad al-Khayyat.

Albania’s Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office is already investigating how the transfer of the property titles for that picture-postcard location was carried out.

“We were on a friend’s boat (…) We swam to the island, took a walk barefoot all the way to the top, and were captivated,” Ivanka Trump, seemingly unfazed by the criticism, told an American podcaster several weeks ago, describing how they discovered the nature reserve where her husband saw a business opportunity.

Along the Balkan nation’s 450 kilometers of coastline, which remained almost untouched during the harsh Stalinist regime, Kushner has set his sights on an area of extraordinary biodiversity that provides a haven for birds such as flamingos—which gave their name to the movement opposing the tourism plan: the “flamingo revolution.”

Failed Attempt in Serbia

Nevertheless, the prime minister has become the leading defender of the luxury megaproject, which he calls a “blessing” for this country of barely 3 million inhabitants and one of Europe’s most modest economies.

“Albania is not for sale,” his compatriots retort.

That enthusiasm for the Trump family’s initiative—which recently failed in another highly contested real estate venture in Serbia—has transformed the environmental campaign against the resort—even laws protecting sensitive areas were amended to facilitate it—into open criticism of Rama, with protesters demanding that he resign and call early elections.

The 62-year-old leader, now in his fourth term, is turning a deaf ear and accuses foreign cyber activists, specifically Iran, of fueling the demonstrations against a project that is already under construction.

Nor is he heeding warnings from the European Union, which has expressed its “concern” about the resort’s environmental consequences and the potential conflict with the accession process—Tirana applied in 2009 and became an official candidate five years later—to join the European bloc.

The post Largest Wave of Protests in the Country / Spanish Newspaper Reports on Citizens’ Revolt: Albanians Demand Rama’s Resignation, Prime Minister “Turns a Deaf Ear” to EU Warnings appeared first on Albeu.com.

In the article, ORF writes that the demonstrators, who have taken to the streets every day for weeks, are denouncing corruption in the country and demanding the resignation of the Rama government.

The Austrian broadcaster points out that the project envisions the construction of hotels, villas, a marina and around 10,000 rooms for tourists, while opponents view it as a threat to the natural reserve.

ORF further stresses that during the clashes in front of Parliament, police used tear gas and water cannons, while there were also arrests and injuries.

ORF also mentions the Albanian Helsinki Committee, which has called for an independent investigation into allegations of excessive use of force by the police.

ORF Full Article:

“The Flamingo Revolution” in Albania continued over the weekend. Tens of thousands of people once again protested against the massive construction project by the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, in an environmentally protected area. There has also recently been anger over police violence against demonstrators.

Saturday’s rally in Albania’s capital, Tirana, was, according to the AFP news agency, the largest since the demonstrations began at the end of May. The “flamingo protests” began as an environmental movement against the construction of the tourist resort in the Zvërnec nature reserve on Albania’s southwestern coast, an important breeding site for flamingos.

The protests have now also turned against the Albanian government. Demonstrators, who have taken to the streets every day for weeks, are denouncing corruption in the country and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The Albanian government has long sought to boost its economy through tourism. However, demonstrators accuse the Albanian government of backing foreign investors such as the Kushner family. Their banners often read: “Albania is not for sale.”

10,000 rooms in a nature reserve

Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump are involved in the construction project. The Trump family has invested heavily in luxury projects around the world. The construction project is expected to be gigantic; one of Kushner’s companies plans to invest 1.4 billion euros. The large-scale project will include hotels and private villas, a marina, restaurants and entertainment facilities. A total of 10,000 guest rooms are planned. The protest began after construction fences secured with barbed wire and excavators suddenly appeared on a beach in Zvërnec.

Escalation in front of parliament

On Thursday, many demonstrators gathered in front of parliament for the second time this week to block members of parliament from entering the building. Police used tear gas and water cannons. Demonstrators threw eggs, stones and other objects and tried to break through the police cordon. Police reported that 15 officers were injured and 25 demonstrators were arrested. Nineteen demonstrators remain in custody.

Human rights activists are calling for an investigation.

The Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), a human rights organization, expressed concern on Saturday over the escalation of the situation at the protests. The AHC said that acts of violence by individuals cannot justify the disproportionate use of force by the police. Human rights activists explained that police used tear gas without warning and beat people lying on the ground.

“This is unacceptable and requires an immediate, independent and effective investigation.”

The post “The Flamingo Revolution” Does Not Back Down / Austria’s Public Broadcaster Echoes Protests in Our Country: Citizens Accuse Rama of Corruption appeared first on Albeu.com.