TIRANA, Feb 20 (Reuters) – Police in Tirana fired tear gas and used water cannon in clashes on Friday with opposition protesters demanding the resignation of the Albanian government following corruption allegations against the deputy prime minister.
Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs and fireworks at the Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office and police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Political tensions have escalated since December after a special prosecution unit indicted Rama’s deputy, Belinda Balluku, for allegedly interfering in public tenders for major infrastructure projects and favouring certain companies, charges Balluku denies.
Thousands of opposition Democratic Party supporters chanted “Rama, go away” and “Rama in jail” carrying Albanian and party flags.
“Edi Rama’s days are numbered,” said Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha. “Let them know that even if they go behind the sun, we will find them and punish them with the full force of the law.”
An anti-corruption court has suspended Balluku from office but the Special Prosecution Office, tasked with fighting corruption, has demanded parliament lift her immunity to enable her arrest.
Rama’s Socialist Party, which last year secured a fourth consecutive term, has a comfortable parliamentary majority and it is unclear if and when the assembly will lift the immunity of Balluku, who also served as an infrastructure minister and is a close ally of the prime minister.
Rama has complained about judicial overreach, especially with pre-trial detentions.
Albania aims to join the European Union by 2030 but the bloc says the country must do more to fight crime and corruption.
(Reporting by Florion Goga, writing by Fatos Bytyci; editing by Alex Richardson)
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