Albanian police used tear gas, water cannons against anti-government demonstrators
Police in the Albanian capital Tirana fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters who blocked roads, accusing the government of corruption and demanding it be replaced by a technocratic interim authority, Reuters reports
The protesters said they were waging a civil disobedience campaign against the country’s PM Edi Rama of the Socialist Party. The opposition has been holding protests almost every week, demanding an interim government step in before parliamentary election in 2025.
“The leaders of Albania’s two biggest opposition parties, Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party leader and Ilir Meta of the Freedom Party, are charged with corruption offences and both accuse Rama of orchestrating these. They deny the charges,” the publication reads.
Rama says the charges are not politically motivated and accuses the opposition of resorting to violence in an attempt to seize power.
