Follow-Up: Fresh Protests Erupt in Tirana as Albania's PM Edi Rama Imposes 500,000-Lek Fines Over Violent Protests
Fresh anti-government protests erupted in Albania's capital Tirana on Sunday, October 25. According to Reuters, on a rainy afternoon protesters gathered in front of the Education Ministry and then walked to Prime Minister Edi Rama's office, setting on fire chairs he had placed in front of it as an invitation to a dialogue with the government. The protest came only hours after Rama announced new measures to stem the wave of demonstrations; authorities released no new casualty or arrest figures.
Earlier on Sunday, Rama introduced new measures to curb violence, including fines of 500,000 lek ($6,188) for everyone who participates in a protest that turns violent, even if he or she does not commit acts of violence. 'I believe that those who demand my resignation are mistaken if they think they can impose it through violence or any other means, but I do not believe that everything they say or demand is wrong,' Rama said in a video address. He has governed since 2013 and won a fourth term in office last year.
The student-led demonstrations, fuelled by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards, have engulfed central Tirana and spread to other cities this month. Demonstrators demanding Rama's resignation have set fire to government buildings and banks, smashed shop windows and pulled up paving stones to throw at police. As GSM reported earlier, in Saturday's October 24 protests police used water cannon and tear gas, authorities said more than 300 protesters and police were injured in total, and 2,500 officers were deployed on Tirana's streets that day.
Reuters noted that the unrest followed months of largely peaceful summer protests against a luxury coastal development backed by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, and now poses the biggest challenge yet to Rama. Whether Sunday's new fines will calm the streets, or students and the opposition will keep protesting, remains to be seen.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿尔巴尼亚总理Edi Rama（左）2026年5月15日摄（资料图）。图：Stenbocki maja，CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源 / Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (left) on May 15, 2026 (file photo). Photo by Stenbocki maja, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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- 2026-10-25Follow-Up: Fresh Protests Erupt in Tirana as Albania's PM Edi Rama Imposes 500,000-Lek Fines Over Violent ProtestsThis story
