Albania's leader defies calls to resign as student protesters rampage in capital

By Fatos Bytyci and Edward McAllister

TIRANA, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Albanian ‌Prime Minister Edi Rama on ​Thursday rejected calls ​to resign as thousands of student-led protesters smashed windows and fought running battles with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas in the capital.

The demonstrators accuse officials of corruption and neglecting education and say they are angry about the sale of parts of Albania's southern coastline ‌to a luxury resort development backed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Tirana's streets were littered with burned out garbage ⁠bins, shattered bus stops and broken traffic lights. Police fired tear gas, sound grenades and water cannon at rock-hurling protesters who set light to a kiosk, laid barricades and raided a bank.

The protesters are ‌demanding Rama's resignation, saying no one had listened ‌to their concerns during a summer of largely peaceful protests over the development.

Rama, whose government denies corruption, said he would be ready to discuss the rising cost of education but rejected the calls to resign.

"My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward," he said in a written ​statement to Reuters. "The alternative would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete negotiations on European Union membership."

RAMA CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY

A student who gave her name as Kiara said the cost of living, poor job prospects, and alleged corruption were the main issues.

"Our prime minister ⁠is the meaning of the word corruption. You can only find work in your field if you know a guy who knows a guy," she said, her face covered by a mask, like many on the streets ​on Thursday.

The protests, now in their third day, mark the biggest challenge yet to Rama, who won a fourth term last year, with EU membership at the centre of his campaign. Parliament cancelled its session as the violence erupted again nearby.

In ​the central Skanderbeg Square, police hit fleeing protesters with batons as tourists looked on while ‌in the town of Shkodra, a police commander was badly injured, top-channel TV web site reported.

Local media said protests were also taking place Durres, Elbasan, Kukes and Vlora.

PROTESTER SAYS THEY ARE NOT BEING HEARD

"This government is corrupted, led and governed by a corrupt ⁠prime minister," protester Lulzim Tanushi, a lawyer, said. "Since Rama came to power he has abused and ruined people's lives and that is why people are showing their anger — when they were not heard before."

The protests follow months of mostly peaceful demonstrations sparked by the plans to build the resort, which has faced legal challenges.

Villagers told Reuters in July that their land was wrongfully ⁠sold for development. Reuters later reported that the man who sold the land was wanted by prosecutors for drug trafficking, charges his lawyer denied.

Reuters found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner, ​who is not directly involved in the villagers' dispute.

AIMING FOR EU ENTRY AS SOON AS 2028

Albania's image has been tarnished over the years by corruption scandals and political analysts say the country is a hub for gangs seeking to launder money from drugs and weapons trafficking, complicating its efforts to join the EU.

Along with Montenegro, Albania is currently leading the accession process among ‌Balkan countries and is aiming for entry as early as 2028.

"Corruption must be confronted and, as the EU itself has recently reaffirmed, Albania is tackling it as never before," Rama said to Reuters.

"Perhaps some forces, at home and abroad, do not ‌want Albania to succeed as a forerunner for EU membership. But I will not allow violence to derail Albania's European future."

A European Union mission to Albania in a statement on X ⁠said: "Constructive dialogue is the only way forward."

The unrest is part of ‌a wave of student activism in Europe. In France, ​high school students have staged weeks of protests and school blockades demanding more teachers and better facilities, arguing that deteriorating school buildings and overcrowded classrooms are undermining education.

(Reporting by Edward McAllister and Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Alison ‌Williams, Philippa Fletcher)

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