A young MP, elected with the support of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, has joined student protests in Tirana and called for the resignation of the government. Mariana Koceku, 25, who is now an independent MP, said the country needs a new future, determined by the citizens, not by one person or one government.
Protests in Albania have escalated over the week. Young demonstrators have attacked government buildings and banks, set fire to buildings and thrown stones at police cordons. Police have used tear gas and water cannons. According to Albanian authorities, 500 people have been detained, 330 of whom have been released. 120 police officers and 45 protesters were reported injured, but the number of injured demonstrators is likely higher, as some cases are not registered.
From Rama-backed candidate to independent MP
Koceku is among the young politicians Rama has been counting on to give the Socialist Party a more modern image. The prime minister personally selected her as a candidate in last year's parliamentary elections. Now she is among the participants in the protests, sparked by dissatisfaction with corruption, the lack of jobs and the feeling that the government does not protect the interests of young people.
She has also criticized policies related to nature conservation and land management. Koceku is from a mountainous area in northern Albania, where her family runs a small guesthouse by a lake.
Resort project has turned a local dispute into a political crisis
The unrest began with mostly peaceful demonstrations against plans to build a luxury resort on Albania's southern coast. The project involves an investment company founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Residents of the area said their land was sold illegally. Reuters reported that the man who sold the land was wanted by prosecutors on suspicion of drug trafficking, but his lawyer denied the charges.
Reuters has found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner, who is not directly involved in the dispute between the locals and the land seller. But the project has become a symbol of broader discontent with the way the country's natural resources and public lands are managed.
Rama refuses to resign
Edi Rama has ruled Albania since 2013 and won a fourth term in elections last year. His rule has been marred by corruption scandals, which the prime minister denies. Amid the protests, he has said he will not step down.
“Governments change through democratic elections, and there were last year, not through violence,” Rama said.The protests are the most serious test of his rule yet. Student groups are demanding changes in education, while a broader movement is demanding the prime minister's resignation and the end of the controversial resort project. Police and the government have condemned the violence, while protesters say their months of peaceful action have gone unanswered.
Sources: reuters.com, apnews.com