The Prime Minister ruled out resignation, but the students continued their protest for the third day in a row. Young people from other cities in the country also arrived in Tirana. At 08:03 on Thursday morning (15.10.2026), after two days of student protests accompanied by tensions and violence on the streets of Tirana, Prime Minister Edi Rama broke his silence. From the burned-out building of the College of Europe, just a few meters from his office, Rama released a video message, blaming the opposition for the violence and destruction in the capital. “These are the hands of an opposition that, with blindfolds, seeks to return Albania to where it will never return,” he declared. But the answer to the protesters’ main demand came later in the day. In a statement to Reuters, Rama made it clear that there would be no resignation.
The Prime Minister ruled out resigning, but the students continue the protest and young people from other cities of the country also arrive in Tirana. Protests have also taken place in other cities. The protest was accompanied by violent clashes with the police, the use of tear gas and fires, while there were injuries and damage to buildings and businesses.
Revolt against the political class
The revolt is rooted in the youth's dissatisfaction with the government, economic hardship and lack of prospects for the future. "We have nowhere to study, we have no income, we live on rent, we can't cover our expenses. The government has been sucking our blood for years and they don't feel responsible for all these people who are in the square," a student told DW.
For Rigels Xhemollari, from the Civic Resistance, the student revolt is linked to the dissatisfaction expressed during the months of the "Flamingo Revolution" movement. "The lack of reflection by the prime minister during the four months of protests on the boulevard and his mockery of the protesters. Then the other reasons are related to the economic situation, corruption affairs and successive scandals," he told DW.
But the students' dissatisfaction is not limited to the government. In addition to the demand for Edi Rama's resignation, calls against the opposition have also been heard in the square, although the leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, has expressed his support for the protest.
Is there a political way out?
Political analyst Mark Marku, also dean of the Faculty of History and Philology, sees the student protest as the reaction of a generation that awakened society and revived the debate about change. But he warns that the resignation of the government and new elections do not necessarily mean political change. “A political action is not measured by the goals, but by the result,” says Marku.
For this reason, he emphasizes the need for the protest to have a platform and a political alternative that citizens can vote for, if the country were to go to elections. "Protests are not voted on," says the analyst.
Meanwhile, Xhemollari sees the resignation of the prime minister as the only way to end the revolt. "The protest has only one political demand, which requires a political solution, the resignation of the prime minister," he told DW. According to the activist, after Rama's departure, the President of the Republic should gather political parties to create a caretaker government with a non-partisan prime minister, to pave the way for local and parliamentary elections in May 2027.
In 2018, Albania was gripped by massive student protests, largely focused on issues related to higher education. Eight years later, students are back on the streets, this time demanding political change./DW
