Burning Chairs

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Thousands of members of the opposition clashed with police in the Albanian capital Tirana this week, with protesters demanding the resignation of left-wing Prime Minister Edi Rama and the creation of a technocratic government ahead of next year’s general elections, Euronews reported.

On Monday night, demonstrations organized by the conservative Democratic Party (DP) took place in front of government buildings, including the prime minister’s office and the interior ministry.

Protesters called for Rama to step down, accusing him and his Socialist Party of authoritarianism, corruption and voter manipulation. Scuffles took place in front of the prime minister’s office, and there were reports of Molotov cocktails being thrown at Socialist Party headquarters and other buildings.

Hundreds of officers were deployed and some used tear gas to disperse crowds moving toward the parliament, Agence France-Presse noted.

A number of demonstrators were taken to the hospital and authorities said at least 10 police officers were injured.

Monday’s unrest comes a week after DP lawmakers protested in front of the country’s parliament by setting their chairs on fire. The opposition was protesting the imprisonment of a DP official, Ervin Salianji.

Salianji was sentenced to one year in prison for “giving false testimony” in a drug trafficking case that targeted Agron Xhafaj, the brother of former Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj.

The right-wing party has labeled Salianji’s arrest as politically motivated, describing it as a “blind act of revenge and political terror against the Democratic Party.”

Critics and legal analysts told the Tirana Times that Salianji’s actions should have been classified as defamation, which is subject to a fine and not a criminal offense.

They pointed out how the prosecution of Salianji was expedited while, by contrast, authorities showed little urgency in investigating Xhafa’s serious drug allegations. At the same, they expressed concerns about Albania’s judicial independence, especially as the country is reforming its judicial system, a move pushed by the European Union.

Albania will start talks with the EU later this month on how the country will align with the bloc’s standards on the rule of law as part of its bid to join the 27-nation union.

Both the US and EU have urged the opposition to restart dialogue with the government, saying that violence hinders Albania’s efforts to join the bloc.

Even so, the DP has vowed that the “civil disobedience” will continue.

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