TIRANA, Albania — Event date: 2026-02-10. A protest in Albania’s capital turned violent on Tuesday night after thousands of opposition supporters gathered in central Tirana to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government, which is facing renewed pressure over corruption allegations involving Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku.
Police said 16 protesters were treated in hospital for burns and other injuries, and 13 people were arrested after clashes broke out near the prime minister’s office. Riot police responded with tear gas and water cannon after demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, flares and fireworks. The confrontation added a fresh layer of unrest to a political dispute that has repeatedly drawn crowds into the streets in recent months.
The immediate focus of the anger was Balluku, who is also minister for energy and infrastructure. Anti-corruption prosecutors have accused her of interfering in public procurement for construction projects in a way that favored certain companies, and lawmakers have been asked to lift her immunity so she can face prosecution. Rama has resisted calls to dismiss her, keeping the issue at the center of an increasingly bitter confrontation between the government and its critics.
Tuesday’s rally was the third major demonstration in recent months calling for Rama’s resignation. Authorities said more than 1,300 police officers were deployed to secure the area, underscoring both the expected scale of the protest and the risk of disorder. Previous demonstrations have also escalated into violence, with rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at police and a government building before officers used tear gas and water cannons in response.
Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, himself a former prime minister who has faced corruption charges, tried to frame the rally as a broader political awakening, calling it a peaceful uprising. But even among observers there was skepticism that the protest would produce quick institutional change. Political analyst Mentor Kikia said the public remained distrustful, arguing that many voters see only competing versions of the same problem rather than a clean alternative.
That tension helps explain why the protests have become a recurring feature of Albanian politics rather than a one-off outbreak. Albania is still under close scrutiny as it seeks to advance its European Union membership bid, and international watchdogs continue to warn that corruption remains widespread. The latest confrontation showed how corruption allegations, accountability demands and partisan rivalry continue to overlap in a country where street pressure has become a regular extension of political deadlock.
For now, the government remains in place, Balluku remains under scrutiny and the opposition has shown it can still mobilize large crowds. What Tuesday’s violence also made clear is that neither side appears ready to concede ground, leaving Albania’s capital caught between institutional procedures, protest politics and a corruption fight that is still unfolding.
