Albanian PM blames ‘foreign hands’ for unrest as student protests intensify

Riot police clash with protesters for fourth day, as young Albanians protest corruption and poor university conditions

Protesters run away from riot police during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana, Albania, on October 16, 2026 [AFP]

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has blamed “foreign hands” for the increasingly violent student-led protests that are calling on him to resign.

Riot police clashed with protesters outside the education ministry for the fourth day in a row, as thousands of young Albanians marched through the capital, Tirana, on Friday to protest government corruption and poor university conditions.

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“This is not a student phenomenon,” Rama said in a video address on Friday. He said there were “foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace”.

Rama insisted that the protest had “absolutely nothing to do with the hardships, problems or legitimate aspirations of anyone who desires a better life”.

Police officers used water cannon and tear gas as demonstrators hurled rocks.

The protests have spread beyond the capital to Elbasan, Shkodra and Korca, where demonstrators broke windows and set fire to rubbish bins, local media reported.

The ongoing escalation follows months of mostly peaceful demonstrations, originally sparked by the sale of part of Albania’s coastline to a luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Days of unrest have increasingly targeted banks and government buildings. Protesters hurled bricks and concrete blocks at the education ministry on Tuesday. They also set fire to several buildings across the city, including the prime minister’s office, the finance and justice ministry buildings and branches of several banks.

According to a police statement, 160 people were detained over alleged acts of violence on Thursday evening.

Demonstrators are demanding Rama’s resignation, as well as electoral and education reforms.

The prime minister, whose government denies corruption, said he would be ready to discuss rising education costs but rejected the calls to resign.

He said on Thursday, “My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward.”

His dismissal “would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete negotiations on European Union membership”, he added.

Corruption scandals have complicated Albania’s efforts to join the EU. Analysts say the country is a hub for gangs seeking to launder money from drugs and weapons trafficking.

Rama won a fourth term last year on promises to take Albania into the EU, aiming for membership as early as 2028.

防暴警察与抗议者冲突已持续四天，年轻的阿尔巴尼亚人抗议腐败和大学条件恶劣。

2026年10月16日，在阿尔巴尼亚首都地拉那市中心举行的反政府示威活动中，抗议者逃离防暴警察。[法新社]

阿尔巴尼亚总理埃迪·拉马将日益暴力化的学生领导的抗议活动归咎于“外国势力”，这些抗议活动要求他辞职。

周五，数千名阿尔巴尼亚青年走上首都地拉那街头，抗议政府腐败和大学条件恶劣，防暴警察连续第四天与教育部外的抗议者发生冲突。

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列表 2/3 “沸点”：为什么学生抗议阿尔巴尼亚总统埃迪·拉马

阿尔巴尼亚总理驳斥辞职呼声，学生抗议活动蔓延（共3条，此为第3条）

拉马在周五的视频讲话中表示：“这不是学生现象。” 他说，有“外国势力不希望阿尔巴尼亚和平”。

拉玛坚称，这场抗议“与任何渴望更美好生活的人的困境、问题或合理愿望绝对没有任何关系”。

示威者投掷石块，警方动用水炮和催泪瓦斯驱散人群。

据当地媒体报道，抗议活动已从首都蔓延至爱尔巴桑、斯库台和科尔察，示威者砸碎窗户并焚烧垃圾桶。

在经历了数月以和平示威为主的抗议活动后，局势持续升级。这些示威活动最初是由阿尔巴尼亚将部分海岸线出售给与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的女婿贾里德·库什纳有关的豪华度假村开发项目而引发的。

连日来的骚乱逐渐将矛头指向银行和政府大楼。周二，抗议者向教育部投掷砖块和混凝土块。他们还纵火焚烧了市内多座建筑物，包括总理府、财政部和司法部大楼以及多家银行的分支机构。

根据警方声明，周四晚间，160人因涉嫌暴力行为被拘留。

示威者要求拉玛辞职，并要求进行选举和教育改革。

这位总理的政府否认存在腐败问题，他表示愿意讨论不断上涨的教育成本，但拒绝了辞职的呼吁。

他周四表示：“我的职责是倾听民意，解决合理的关切，并推动阿尔巴尼亚向前发展。”

他补充说，解雇他“将是对阿尔巴尼亚人民的背叛，他们赋予我强大的授权来完成加入欧盟的谈判”。

腐败丑闻使阿尔巴尼亚加入欧盟的努力变得更加复杂。分析人士称，该国是犯罪团伙洗钱的温床，这些团伙试图洗白毒品和武器走私所得的资金。

拉马去年赢得第四个任期，承诺带领阿尔巴尼亚加入欧盟，目标是最早在 2028 年实现成员国身份。