The lawmaker, who left the Socialist Party after the mass protests, says the government should have invested these 4 million euros to prevent fires and support residents, as the country risks facing the catastrophic situation of a year ago.

“Last year our country went through a fire catastrophe. I saw firsthand the extraordinary damage done to nature. This year the situation is expected to be even more alarming because of the high temperatures.

The 4 million euros for a one-time-use stadium should have been invested in fire prevention, in supporting residents, and in strengthening emergency capacities,” Koçeku writes.

In the end, she says ironically that the state and accountability cannot be replaced by spectacle, adding that, “the loss of nature is the loss of Albania.”

“The state and accountability cannot be replaced by spectacle. The loss of nature is the loss of Albania.”

Full statement:

Last year our country went through a fire catastrophe. I saw firsthand the extraordinary damage done to nature. This year the situation is expected to be even more alarming because of the high temperatures.

The 4 million euros for a one-time-use stadium should have been invested in fire prevention, in supporting residents, and in strengthening emergency capacities.

The state and accountability cannot be replaced by spectacle. The loss of nature is the loss of Albania.

The post The government funded Kanye West’s concert, Marjana Koçeku responds: The 4 million euros should have been invested in fire prevention, the state and accountability cannot be replaced by spectacle appeared first on Albeu.com.

The pink migratory birds became the symbol of the nightly protests in Albania because they gather in the Narta Lagoon, a protected area near the coastal city of Vlora.

A group of international investors, including the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, aim to develop a luxury resort near the area, and the government has granted them “strategic investor” status.

No building permit has yet been issued, and Rama’s government says the environmental impact assessment has not yet begun, but fencing and excavation machinery have been spotted on the ground.

Small-scale local protests over the potential environmental impact turned into national demonstrations a month ago, when a video showing private security guards assaulting a protester spread on social media. The incident has also been confirmed by the prime minister.

Dissatisfaction has now broadened to include wider concerns about how Albania is being developed and how the country is being governed.

“I’m here for our schools,” a young protester named Helena told the BBC.

“I’m here for our hospitals, for our infrastructure, for my family who are outside Albania and who wanted to be here. And for all of this, I’m here mainly for myself, because I want to stay in my country and I don’t want to leave,” she said.

Rama and the Socialist Party have been in power for 13 years. During that time, Albania has changed significantly.

The urban space of the capital, Tirana, has been transformed by a large number of towers, mostly designed by international architects. At the same time, tourism has seen major growth, changing the country’s international image and accounting for more than a fifth of GDP.

Perhaps one of the most important developments is Albania’s progress toward membership in the European Union. Starting from 2022, the country aims to complete accession negotiations by the end of next year. Of the six Western Balkan countries, only Montenegro is further ahead, and it has a decade more of negotiations behind it.

But these achievements do not convince well-known protester Fatos Lubonja. The writer and human rights activist spent 17 years in a forced labor camp during Enver Hoxha’s communist dictatorship.

Today, he says, the current government is propped up by “oligarchs, organized crime, the media and corrupt internationals,” while the construction boom is nothing more than money laundering.

“We want justice to investigate,” he said, pointing to the tall towers surrounding Skanderbeg Square in central Tirana. “If you look at all these towers, it turns out this is a plan of organized crime, oligarchs and state officials,” he added.

Taking a quiet moment in his office in mid-afternoon, before the evening protests begin, Rama views the demonstrations as a sign of a democratic and functioning society.

However, some of his closest political allies are under investigation by Albania’s anti-corruption prosecution office (SPAK), including the former deputy prime minister and the mayor of Tirana.

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

“I said it from day one: I want a justice system that does not look left, does not look right, but looks straight ahead,” Rama said. “A justice system that cannot be bought, that is not pressured and that is not controlled remotely by anyone. And I have also said that this is the greatest contribution the Socialist Party will make to this country, because it will not contribute only through reforms, but also by putting itself to the test for the country.”

But the newest member of the Albanian parliament has decided that cooperation with the Socialist Party is no longer the answer. Rama had personally selected 25-year-old Majana Koçeku as a candidate in last year’s election after she became known as an environmental activist in Shkodra county.

She has now left the party, saying that her youth did not allow her “to stay and applaud the government and pretend that nothing is happening.” In her view, Rama is a large part of the problem.

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

For now, the situation appears deadlocked. The protesters are not backing down, and Rama is not leaving either. So the flamingos are expected to remain a familiar sight in protests on the streets of Tirana./BBC

The post Thousands in the square demand the prime minister’s resignation, Marjana Koçeku tells the BBC: Rama no longer inspires, this has led him into a major legitimacy crisis appeared first on Albeu.com.

“Parliament very often functions as a place where party decisions are simply approved rather than truly examined,” she told Britannia Daily.

Full article:

Marjana Koçeku, one of Albania’s youngest MPs and a former member of the ruling Socialist Party’s parliamentary group, told Britannia Daily that the country’s mass protest movement reflects a “deeper crisis of trust” between citizens and political institutions — and sent a direct message to demonstrators: “You are not alone.”

Koçeku, who took her seat in parliament last September before leaving the ruling Socialist Party to sit as an independent MP, said growing disillusionment with how power is exercised within Albanian politics ultimately led her to break away from the ranks. Departures from Albania’s main political parties are relatively rare — especially among newly elected MPs from the governing majority — making her decision a rare act of political independence in contemporary Albanian politics. Her comments are particularly notable because they come from a politician who until recently sat on the government benches and is now one of parliament’s few independent voices. As one of parliament’s youngest members, Koçeku said she particularly understood the aspirations of the mostly young demonstrators, many of whom believe Albania’s political system no longer reflects their concerns.

Her remarks offer a rare glimpse into growing discontent within Albania’s governing majority at a time when the country is experiencing one of its largest protest movements in years.

Having entered parliament less than a year ago, Koçeku’s decision to break from the governing majority has drawn particular attention because of her age and the speed with which she became disillusioned with the political system.

Koçeku’s decision is especially significant because she was elected as part of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party governing majority before deciding to break ranks and continue as an independent MP. As an independent, she is no longer bound by party discipline and says she will vote according to her conscience and the interests of her constituents.

“Parliament very often functions as a place where party decisions are simply approved rather than truly examined,” she told Britannia Daily.

“One of the fundamental responsibilities of an MP is to exercise independent judgment on behalf of the citizens who elected them. In practice, however, party discipline often takes precedence over the public interest.”

In her interview with Britannia Daily, Koçeku repeatedly returned to the themes of accountability, democratic renewal and the need for a new generation of political leadership.

The protests reinforced my decision

Koçeku’s departure from the ruling party comes against the backdrop of one of the most significant civic movements in Albania’s recent history, with tens of thousands of people, mostly young, taking to the streets in peaceful demonstrations demanding accountability, transparency and democratic reform. The protests have become one of the defining political developments in Albania in recent months, drawing in a generation of citizens who say they feel unheard by the country’s traditional political structures.

She said the protests did not cause her departure from the party — but they strongly reinforced it.

“The protests have been among the most inspiring civic movements I have seen, not only in Albania but in Europe in recent years,” she said. “When tens of thousands of citizens mobilize peacefully to demand accountability and democratic change, elected representatives have a duty to listen.”

The issues raised by the demonstrators — government accountability, environmental protection, transparency over major development projects and the rising cost of living — were, Koçeku said, “the same concerns” that had led her to question the direction Albania was taking. Rather than viewing the movement with alarm, she described it as a source of optimism.

“I see this movement as a sign of hope rather than despair,” she said. “It shows that people have not given up on democracy — on the contrary, they are demanding that it work better.”

It is only a matter of time

In one of the interview’s most striking revelations, Koçeku suggested that others within Albania’s political establishment may eventually follow her example — a claim likely to cause concern within the Socialist Party.

“From my conversations and observations, I believe there is growing unease within some parts of Albania’s political establishment,” she said. “I feel that not everyone is satisfied with the current direction of political leadership, even if many choose not to express these concerns publicly.”

She added: “I believe it is only a matter of time before more politicians find the courage to speak openly and act according to their convictions. Healthy democracies depend on individuals who are willing to defend their beliefs and ideas over general political convenience.”

As for her former colleagues in the Socialist Party, Koçeku was brief. “From this point onward, all communication between us will be conducted through official channels,” she said. “I have had no contact with any of them.”

A crisis of trust — and a call for a political reset

Koçeku argued that the protests are not simply a response to specific policies, but a symptom of something far more fundamental: a breakdown of trust between Albanian citizens and the institutions that are supposed to serve them.

“Many Albanians feel that political decisions are increasingly made without meaningful public consultation and that institutions are becoming less responsive to the people they are meant to serve,” she said. “When citizens lose confidence that their concerns can be addressed through ordinary political channels, they naturally seek other democratic ways to make their voices heard.”

She argued that reforms cannot be credible if they are led by the same political culture citizens are protesting against, suggesting that the current political establishment no longer has the trust needed to deliver meaningful change. Rebuilding that trust, she said, would require far more than policy announcements.

“Rebuilding trust will require more than policy changes,” she said.

“It requires a different political culture — one based on transparency, stronger democratic institutions, respect for the rule of law and a willingness to listen to citizens even when their message is uncomfortable.”

This government cannot do it — nor can the old political elite

Koçeku argued that Albania needs not only a change of government, but an entirely new generation of leaders committed to accountability, transparency and democratic dialogue. Her conclusion was unsparing.

“What Albania needs is not simply a change of individuals, but a renewal of the entire political culture. The political elite, the functioning of our institutions and the mindset that has shaped governance for decades all require deep reform.”

She continued: “Sustainable change will not come from replacing one group of political actors with another if the same practices and mindset remain untouched. Albania needs a completely new generation of leadership that embraces accountability, transparency, democratic dialogue and public service as fundamental principles of governance.”

And then, with a clarity that left little room for ambiguity: “This government cannot do it, nor can the old political elite.”

The remarks are among Koçeku’s sharpest criticisms so far of Albania’s political establishment since becoming an independent MP.

You now have a mandate in Parliament

Koçeku’s message to the protesters who have filled Albania’s streets was direct and personal.

“Your voices matter and you should never believe that peaceful civic engagement is futile,” she told Britannia Daily. “You are not alone — you even have a mandate in parliament now.”

She revealed that many protesters had personally invited her to join the street demonstrations, which she described as “a sign of trust that I deeply value.”

Since announcing her decision, Koçeku said she has received thousands of messages from ordinary citizens, members of the Albanian diaspora, academics and public figures, many of whom told her that her move had renewed their belief that politics can still be guided by principles rather than political expediency.

“The strength of this reaction reflects the fact that such a decision is highly unusual in Albanian politics,” she said. “It has challenged a long-standing political culture and opened a broader public discussion about political independence, accountability and the responsibility of elected representatives to put citizens before party interests.”

Albania’s “Flamingo Revolution”

Albania has seen some of its largest and most sustained demonstrations in recent years, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in Tirana and other cities demanding greater government accountability, transparency and democratic reform. The movement, widely dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” initially began as an environmental campaign against controversial luxury tourism developments on Sazan Island and the nearby Zvërnec peninsula, projects backed by American investor Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and his wife Ivanka Trump.

The developments, which include plans for luxury resorts in environmentally sensitive areas near the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, have drawn fierce opposition from environmentalists, local residents and members of the Albanian diaspora, who fear damage to protected ecosystems and accuse the government of prioritizing elite investment interests over public concerns.

What began as opposition to the resort projects has since evolved into a broader protest movement against alleged corruption, perceived state capture, lack of transparency and growing frustration with Albania’s political establishment. Protesters have called for deep political reforms and, in some cases, the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, arguing that the demonstrations are about far more than a single development project and instead represent a demand for a new political culture built on accountability and public trust.

The post “Parliament Rubber-Stamps Rama’s Decisions,” Marjana Koçeku Warns of More Departures from the Socialist Party appeared first on Albeu.com.

Immediately after Prime Minister Rama changed his profile and cover photos on Facebook, featuring flamingos, MP Marjana Koçeku responded with mockery.

The former member of the Socialist Party ranks posted a photo of one of the towers in Tirana near the Opera Theater, which resembles the image of our national hero Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu, but according to the opposition, the building has also been adapted to resemble Prime Minister Rama.

MP Marjana Koçeku appears to have modified the photo of the tower, giving it a pink background with the caption: You can suggest it to him for a profile photo.

The post The prime minister chose the flamingo as a symbol; MP Marjana Koçeku mocks him, posts images of the tower with a pink background appeared first on Albeu.com.