ABC Australia has published an in-depth article on developments in Albania, focusing on protests organized in Tirana against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government, as well as disputes surrounding tourism projects along the coast.

According to the Australian media outlet, public discontent in the country is growing, fueled in part by calls to preserve natural assets, particularly on Sazan Island and in the Narta Lagoon.

The initiative known as the “Flamingo Revolution” initially arose from environmental concerns, but ABC Australia notes that it has now evolved into a broader protest against the way the country is governed.

At the heart of the article is a project to build a luxury resort in the Sazan and Zvërnec area. Companies linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are also mentioned in this context.

The plan has sparked heated debate between those who view economic development as a priority and activists sounding the alarm over its potential impact on the natural ecosystem.

Environmentalists quoted by the Australian media outlet describe the Narta Lagoon and Sazan Island as two of the Mediterranean’s most important natural assets. They are calling for any development to be carried out with due regard for environmental protection.

Flamingos have become the emblem of the movement, as the Narta Lagoon is an important habitat for migratory birds and protected species.

The article also focuses on the daily protests in Tirana, where large numbers of citizens have opposed major tourism projects and called on institutions to provide greater transparency.

For its part, the Albanian government has previously stated that these tourism projects are part of its economic development strategy and that the investments should be viewed as an opportunity to expand the tourism sector.

ABC Australia emphasizes that the debate over Sazan and the Albanian coast has become one of the country’s most widely discussed issues.

Two opposing positions face each other: preserving natural areas and pursuing economic development through investment.

The post Flamingo Revolution” in Albania / ABC Australia: Protest Against Rama Is the Largest Since the Fall of Communism appeared first on Albeu.com.

Since the end of May, anti-government protests, born from opposition to the Trump family’s construction projects on an Albanian island, have drawn thousands of Albanians.

Among them is a large segment of Generation Z, angry at a government they consider failed and corrupt.

In the evening, the boulevard near Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office is closed to vehicles. Elderly people sit waiting on plastic chairs, a small platform is set up in front of the building for protesters to deliver speeches, while vendors of Albanian flags stroll through the crowd. This scene has become routine. It was the same on Saturday, July 11.

For the forty-third consecutive night, Tirana was the stage for protests sparked by opposition to Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump’s building plans on Sazan Island and the Zvërnec coastline, a coastal zone in the south of the country.

Beyond this project, thousands of participants, under the slogan “Albania is not for sale,” denounce a double-standard development: tourism is growing at breakneck speed while basic needs like affordable housing, an efficient education system and quality healthcare remain unmet.

All protesters oppose the failure of public institutions, widespread corruption and economic growth that, they say, benefits only a tiny oligarchy.

Though the movement represents an unprecedented consensus, Generation Z is especially prominent. Young people aged 18 to 29 accuse the regime embodied by Prime Minister Edi Rama, who in turn accuses the protesters of being part of “a hybrid war orchestrated from abroad.”

Five of them explain why they joined this unprecedented protest, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution.”

Erta Kurta: “Now my parents are proud of me.”Erta Kurta, 22, became an activist after watching a video circulating on social media at the end of May. It showed private security guards forcefully shoving residents protesting the placement of construction machinery on the beaches targeted by the Trump family on Sazan Island.

Since then, the young woman never parts with her pink flamingo-shaped bag. The bird, threatened by the construction projects, has become the movement’s symbol.

The architecture student at Polis University in Tirana is calling for better public services.

She recalls a hospital stay she describes as “traumatic” when she was 13 due to a lung infection. She speaks of poor healthcare quality and corruption among the staff, “from the nurse all the way to the doctor.” The experience convinced her parents to send her to Turkey for treatment.

Growing up as the eldest of several sisters, she remembers listening to her parents’ accounts of being “oppressed” during the years of communist dictatorship (1946–1991).

For that reason, Ertë’s sudden turn to activism initially terrified her parents.

“They were horrified. They said I had become the family revolutionary and my mother kept repeating that the situation wasn’t that dramatic.”

Over time, however, her mother, a teacher, and her father, a businessman, came to accept her commitment.

“Now they are proud of me,” she says softly.

Jurgen Shpërdhea: “We have to make our voice heard with diplomacy.”Jurgen Shpërdhea, 29, says he was the first to shout “Revolution!” It happened on June 3.Although the movement has no leader, Jurgen has become one of its most recognizable voices.

Despite quickly forming friendships in Tirana, he still feels like an outsider. He is from Griza, a village near the Adriatic Sea, where his parents tend the family farm alongside their jobs as a firefighter and a cleaner.

“There I had my community, my family, my cousins,” he recalls.

But, like many other areas, the village has been emptied of its young people.

“At weddings and funerals there’s no one left,” he says sadly.

He laments the lack of prospects that forces young people to emigrate.

In Albania, more than 25% of 15–24-year-olds were unemployed in 2025, according to the World Bank, compared to 18.9% in France.

Jurgen also worries when he sees natural areas turned into tourist resorts.

“My mother’s family is from Dhërmi, a village near Mount Çika. I cannot imagine that place one day being destroyed to build luxury complexes.”

He has adopted the protest slogan “Albania is not for sale,” referring to the 2024 and 2025 laws that ease strategic investments, especially in natural areas.

Though angry, the self-employed digital marketer remains a pacifist.

He believes Generation Z is “less violent” than previous generations.“We have to make our voice heard with diplomacy.”

Flavia Osmani: “We want to start everything from scratch.”Flavia Osmani, 26, had long been waiting for such a mobilization.

“We want to start everything from scratch, that’s why we call it a revolution,” says the activist, who is involved with the left-wing Bashkë party.

She works as a software engineer for an Italian company and studied at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris.During her time in France, she met trade union activists, took part in May 1 protests and joined political discussions.

After returning to Albania, she set a clear goal: “To be politically useful here.”

Her voice is hoarse from shouting into a megaphone at the protests.

Flavia thinks her generation lives worse than their parents’.

According to her, her parents had: more affordable rent; jobs that matched their studies.

Her father runs a small auto parts business while her mother works as a school assistant.

Today, Flavia says, everything is controlled by: “a handful of oligarchs.”

She demands that the responsible leaders be punished and that the political class be renewed.

“There are plenty of young people who are ready.”

Aslan and Andi Dogjani: “Generation Z is on a mission.”Aslan and Andi Dogjani, 23 and 21, are children of social media.

It was through their phones that they first learned about the protest movement.

“I saw a lot of posts on TikTok and Instagram,” says Andi, a business student at Epoka University. “Girls were writing: ‘Come to the protest’.”

Since then, the two brothers have not missed a single protest.

Their father, a lawyer, and their mother, a homemaker, supported them from the start.

“They taught us to be idealists,” says Andi.

Both are students and dream of building their lives in Albania.

“With the people we love,” adds Aslan, a law student at the European University of Tirana.

Still, the departure of his cousins for other European countries and the United States saddens him.

“Each of them I miss terribly.”

Together, they criticize a society that, they say: “rejects people who are not corrupt.”

They believe corruption blocks their future from university, where, they say, good grades can be bought and merit is not always valued.

Although protest attendance had dwindled about six weeks after the movement began, the two students are hoping for a revival when the new academic year starts.

Aslan is convinced that: “Generation Z is on a mission.”

The post The Flamingo Revolution Gives Wings to the Young: Albanians’ Revolt Against Rama, Prestigious French Le Monde Reports Gen Z Angry at Corrupt Government appeared first on Albeu.com.

Every evening since May 30, thousands of Albanians have gathered below Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office in Tirana. This ongoing movement took a more confrontational turn in early July, openly calling for the removal of the head of government.

Among the crowd, two elderly women can be spotted leaning on a stroller as they struggle to walk in step with the march. Nearby, several men are kneeling in prayer. Groups of students join the mass of protesters, while a father and son wave the national flag.

The initial spark of this anger was the construction plans of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and his wife Ivanka, on the island of Sazan and in the coastal area of Zvërnec. Environmental organizations had long opposed these projects, but the situation erupted when footage of private security guards forcibly removing residents who opposed the arrival of machinery went viral.

For the citizens who have taken to the streets, the state’s silence in the face of violence, the lack of transparency, and the environmental damage are a mirror of Albania’s deep-seated problems. Successive governments have been mired in major financial scandals and corruption allegations. Yet a protest of this scale is rare in the Balkan nation of 2.4 million since the fall of communism and is seen as a sign of a revitalized civil society. “This is the first time we’ve seen so many different people together,” says Hyrmete Thaçi, 42, holding a green scarf. “Everyone has had enough now.”

From the tenth floor of her apartment, Elsida Hajdari looks sadly at the wave of construction that has transformed the landscape. “We used to see the mountains, now buildings have sprung up everywhere,” says the 39-year-old. Below their building still stand a few small houses with damaged roofs and worn-out electrical wires. This is precisely what drives her to join the protest every evening. Financial hardship has angered her whole family. Her daughter, Ebi, 15, complains that the cost of living doesn’t even allow her “to buy a lip gloss or go out with friends.” Elsida works in a call center for 800 euros a month, just above the minimum wage of around 500 euros. “Yet I have a degree in political science and speak three languages,” she adds indignantly. Her husband, Besmir Kraja, works as a cook and notes with concern the declining conditions in his field. “Now they bring in foreign workers at very low wages, who are kept in unlivable housing.”

Among the loudest protesters are young people aged 18 to 30. Pupils, students, recent graduates, or unemployed, they face a bleak future and an unemployment rate of 22% for the 15-24 age group. They are convinced that the state prefers to invest in tourism rather than higher education. Closely connected to social media platforms, the youth have been a key pillar in expanding the movement. Dea Vieri, 28, denounces the corruption that has permeated the country, a phenomenon that, according to her, extends beyond the political sphere. “Our generation is tired. You shouldn’t need connections to powerful people or have to pay to succeed,” she stresses.

Another concern for them is the seizure of territory by criminal groups, which are endangering still-pristine landscapes. “For us, nature is worth more than money,” says Ali Dizdari, a 21-year-old student. He refers to a law passed in February 2024 that favors strategic investments, including in protected areas at very low cost. Born after the overthrow of the dictatorship in 1991, many of these young people believe they have finally overcome fear. “The elderly still hesitate to oppose the authorities, because they carry the traumas of the past,” explains Mikaela Mahilaj, 33, a biologist.

But this perspective is tempered by the presence of a couple around seventy. The Ishmi spouses are among the thousands of Albanians persecuted by Europe’s most closed regime, that of Enver Hoxha. “Back then we were young and distributed anti-communist leaflets. We were caught and imprisoned together. I was pregnant there and lost my child,” the woman recalls in a restrained tone. Tireless, these “sworn democrats” march every evening with whistles and banners. Carrying the slogan “Edi Rama to prison,” they see in the four-term prime minister’s rule signs of a “return to dictatorship” and accuse him of a luxurious lifestyle, completely disconnected from the reality of citizens. On the pensioner’s placard it reads: “Edi Rama bought a bottle of wine for 33,600 euros. That’s 28 years of my pension.”

After the regime fell in the early 1990s, the population held great hopes for future generations. Fredi Muçi, a civil engineer for the state, and his wife Frosina, an architect for public institutions, sacrificed a great deal to finance their two children’s studies abroad. “All families made huge financial sacrifices for this,” Fredi says. Yet today, the family looks back with disappointment. “If we had known that even after 35 years the transition wouldn’t be over…” the 74-year-old pensioner notes. “Our system is not a democracy,” adds the 67-year-old former architect. In the end, only their son has returned to Albania, to get involved in politics with the left-wing party “Bashkë,” while their younger daughter only comes for holidays.

The couple Julian Bregu, 41, a former legionnaire in the French army now working in marketing, and his partner Enki Çokaj, 37, with whom he has an 8-month-old baby, had never before protested or voted. The deterioration of public services drove them to the streets. “I cannot imagine my child growing up in this system even in 20 years. The standard of education is poor and the public hospital lacks so much,” says Julian. Even though they know they belong to the top 10% most privileged in a country that remains among the poorest on the continent, Enki admits that “even for us, great sacrifices are required.” She is resolute: “If nothing changes for the better, we will leave. I refuse to see our son grow up in a country that doesn’t respect him.”

This civic wave, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution” because of the lagoons where these birds breed and which are threatened by the Trump family projects, is also raising hopes among the diaspora. Krenari, 40, settled in the US since 2010, is part of the 1.2 million Albanians living abroad — over 44% of the population, according to World Bank data. He was forced to leave by corruption and now says: “If this protest succeeds, we will return without a doubt.”

Despite the pressure, from his office, Prime Minister Edi Rama remains steadfast. He has described the protesters as participants in “a hybrid war manipulated from outside” and, at a peak moment of the revolt, approved 4 million euros in public funds to set up a makeshift stadium for a concert by American rapper Kanye West, who has been banned from entering several European countries due to antisemitic statements. This decision, like the projects linked to the Trump family, has further infuriated the protesters.

The post Flamingo Revolution Shakes Albania: Mass Protests Against Rama Over Corruption, Scandals and Mafia Ties appeared first on Albeu.com.

Protesters marched through several streets in Tirana, chanting against the government and the opposition. At the end of the march, they returned to the Prime Minister’s Office before dispersing.

Chants of “Rama to prison, Berisha to prison,” “Revolution,” and “New Albania” were once again heard during the rally. Activists, citizens and diaspora representatives spoke from the podium, calling for the resistance to continue until the protest’s demands are met.

The movement, which initially began as opposition to the project in Zvërnec, has now become a nationwide response against the government and the entire political class. For days, participants have marched towards the “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, accompanied by speeches, banners and symbols that have become distinctive features of this protest.

Just one day earlier, protesters said they would not back down. It was announced from the podium that the resistance would continue uninterrupted throughout the summer and until September, while citizens and the diaspora were urged not to leave the square.

According to the organisers, the protest will be held every day throughout the summer season, without any break. They consider this period to be the most important phase of the citizen movement and aim to ensure that pressure on the government does not weaken, but increases until September.

The post Large Turnout at 45th Protest Calling for Rama’s Removal, Citizens on the Boulevard: Your Time Is Up! appeared first on Albeu.com.

Protestuesit marshuan nëpër disa rrugë të Tiranës, duke brohoritur kundër qeverisë dhe opozitës. Në përfundim të marshimit, ata u rikthyen te Kryeministria dhe më pas u shpërndanë.

Gjatë tubimit u dëgjuan sërish thirrjet “Rama në burg, Berisha në burg”, “Revolucion” dhe “Shqipëri e re”. Në podium folën aktivistë, qytetarë dhe përfaqësues të diasporës, të cilët kërkuan që qëndresa të vazhdojë deri në përmbushjen e kërkesave të protestës.

Lëvizja, e cila fillimisht nisi si kundërshtim ndaj projektit në Zvërnec, tashmë është kthyer në një reagim mbarëkombëtar kundër qeverisë dhe të gjithë klasës politike. Prej ditësh, pjesëmarrësit marshojnë drejt bulevardit “Dëshmorët e Kombit”, të shoqëruar nga fjalime, pankarta dhe simbole që janë bërë pjesë dalluese e kësaj proteste.

Edhe një ditë më parë, protestuesit pohuan se nuk do të tërhiqen. Nga podiumi u bë e ditur se rezistenca do të vijojë pa ndërprerje gjatë gjithë verës dhe deri në muajin shtator, ndërsa qytetarëve dhe diasporës iu drejtua thirrja që të mos largohen nga sheshi.

Sipas organizatorëve, protesta do të mbahet çdo ditë përgjatë gjithë sezonit veror, pa asnjë pushim. Ata e konsiderojnë këtë periudhë si fazën më të rëndësishme të lëvizjes qytetare dhe synojnë që presioni ndaj qeverisë të mos dobësohet, por të shtohet deri në shtator.

The post Pjesëmarrje e gjerë në protestën e 45-të për largimin e Ramës, qytetarët në Bulevard: Ju erdhi fundi! appeared first on Albeu.com.