Demonstrations initially sparked by Jared Kushner's plans for a luxury investment have escalated into a serious threat to Edi Rama.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama is facing the biggest threat of his term as prime minister, after protests initially sparked by a real estate development proposal by Jared Kushner escalated into violent clashes.
Students attacked government buildings and caused chaos in cities across Albania this week, demanding Rama's resignation and calling for lower tuition fees and better educational provision.
They are stepping up demands on anti-corruption issues and environmental protections that tens of thousands of Albanians have demanded during peaceful marches since May, when tensions over Kushner's plans for a $4 billion coastal resort rose.
Rama blamed the protests on "foreign hands" and stressed that he would not resign. "How can minors be encouraged to wear masks, tear up the sidewalk and attack the police?" he asked in a Facebook video on Friday, standing in front of the still-burning remains of a kiosk near his office in the capital Tirana.
Construction on the luxury development by Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, began on the Albanian coast near the island of Sazan in May, sparking protests over concerns it would damage a nature reserve that is home to flamingos. The developers insist the project will respect the environment.
The demonstrations turned into a movement against perceived corruption called the Flamingo Revolution.
Students clashed with police, who used tear gas and water cannons for the fourth day in a row in Tirana on Friday. High school students joined university students in protests, despite repeated calls from officials for parents to keep their teenagers at home and for everyone to refrain from violence.
Rama claimed that the students were co-opted by forces that aimed to hinder the country's development and EU integration, without saying which forces he was talking about.
"Do you think it's a coincidence that, just as Albania gets another green light, just as Albania closes another chapter [of accession], just as Albania approaches that ambition, that historic objective, the flames are breaking out here? It's no coincidence at all," Rama wrote on Facebook.
European leaders discussed EU enlargement in Brussels this week, a process that has left the Western Balkans with long-held hopes for a realistic prospect of EU membership. Albania has closed many chapters in its accession process in recent years and is close to meeting the EU’s key rule of law criterion, the IBAR.
Mario Bikarski, a senior analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said that while the protests were the biggest challenge Rama had faced in his 13 years in power, they were unlikely to topple his grip on power or hinder Albania's EU bid.
“There is a strong consensus in Albania that EU membership is positive and welcome,” he said, adding that the prime minister may have to make concessions to protesters, such as abandoning multibillion-dollar coastal development plans.
“In the past, Rama has shown extraordinary resilience in the face of various challenges,” he said. “The opposition is not as trusted by the protesters and it is difficult to see an alternative to a Rama government right now.” ©Albanian adaptation LAPSI.al
