Rama sets out chairs for protesters who only want his resignation
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Prime Minister Edi Rama spent the seventh day of violent street protests attempting a visual metaphor for peace, arranging a circle of empty chairs outside his office to invite dialogue. The protesters responded with a written note repeating their demand that he resign, while student groups abandoned their lecture halls to join the barricades. Mr Rama remains unmoved, noting that power is not won through stones and that more police officers have been injured than demonstrators.
The government's response to the unrest is hardening. A new legislative package aims to blacklist violent protesters from entering the EU, and the Prime Minister has suggested lowering the age of criminal liability to catch younger participants. As the Tirana Penal Court begins processing 28 people arrested in recent clashes, Mr Rama has attributed the civil disorder to the influence of Russia and Iran.
The street level pressure coincides with renewed legal scrutiny of the government’s inner circle. Former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku appeared before special prosecutors to be briefed on communications regarding alleged tender violations for the Great Ring Road and Llogara Pass. It was her second such appearance, suggesting the investigation into the infrastructure projects is widening.