Mayor Veliaj alleges Prime Minister Rama threatened his resignation
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The friction within the Socialist party has moved from whispers to open accusations. Mayor Erion Veliaj, recently reinstated by the Constitutional Court following a period of pre-trial detention, now claims Prime Minister Edi Rama sent him a threatening message demanding he quit his post. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, spent his morning at a symbolic stone table in front of his office, reiterating an invitation for students and teachers to engage in dialogue.
The legal fallout from weeks of street demonstrations is coming into sharper focus. An analysis of recent police action suggests that one in five arrests during the protests violated legal procedures. This follows reports that officers were told not to spare the crowds, with some parents of demonstrators alleging that police were instructed to arrest protesters but stop short of shooting them in the head.
Elsewhere, the High Judicial Council has proposed cutting 84 judges from a system already struggling with a backlog of cases. The government is also preparing for a 2027 budget that preserves funding for all 61 municipalities despite recent territorial reforms, while the Bank of Albania warns that upcoming VAT changes may soon find their way into consumer price tags.