Rama Rejects Resignation Calls, Albania Protests Enter Sixth Day
Albania’s student-led protests entered a sixth day on October 18, with demonstrators demanding PM Edi Rama’s resignation over corruption, unemployment and poor education. Rama has now claimed the protests threaten Albania’s EU membership rather than his government.
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In a Nutshell
- October 18: Student-led protests continued for a sixth day, with demonstrators demanding Rama’s resignation. Rama refused to step down and argued that the protests threatened Albania’s EU membership.
- October 17: Protesters set fire to part of the Supreme Court building as clashes with police intensified. The unrest followed several days of demonstrations, attacks on public buildings and calls for Rama to resign.
- October 13 onward: Students began protesting over university conditions, tuition fees, financial support and job prospects. High school students later joined, and the demonstrations grew into a broader anti-government movement backed by the opposition Democratic Party.
- Early September: Meta disabled multiple Instagram accounts belonging to activists, journalists and others covering the Flamingo Revolution. Meta later restored some accounts after acknowledging mistaken removals, while Rama denied government involvement.
- Since late May: The Flamingo Revolution has opposed a luxury resort development in a protected coastal area in southern Albania, backed by Kushner. By early September, the movement had been protesting for about 100 days, with its demands expanding to include Rama’s resignation.
Context
Since late May, Albanians have protested the government’s approval of a Jared Kushner-backed luxury resort in a protected coastal area. Known as the Flamingo Revolution, this movement expanded into a broader anti-government campaign demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Tensions heightened in September when Meta unexpectedly disabled the Instagram accounts of several activists and journalists. Although Rama denied state involvement and Meta later restored the accounts, citing an error, the incident sparked censorship concerns among European lawmakers.
On October 13, a new wave of student protests erupted over poor university conditions, high tuition fees, and bleak job prospects. Backed by the opposition Democratic Party, these demonstrations quickly escalated into violent clashes. Protesters hurled petrol bombs and rocks, while police responded with tear gas and water cannons, resulting in 167 arrests and 132 injured officers.
By October 18, the sixth day of the student unrest, Rama—who has held office since 2013—firmly ruled out resigning. Instead, he accused conservative opposition groups of inciting the street violence and claimed the ongoing demonstrations threaten Albania’s path to European Union membership rather than his administration.