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L'Espresso: The main objective of the large protests, the change of the corrupt political class!
2026-06-16 19:56:20 / POLITIKË
“We are simply a wave of young people who want to reclaim the future of their country.” What seemed destined to remain a small local protest quickly turned into a movement capable of shaking Edi Rama's government.
"What is happening is not an ordinary political protest. We are not led or coordinated by leaders or parties. We are simply a wave of young people who want to restore the future of their country." So says photographer Alma Aluku, one of the hundreds of thousands of Albanians who have been taking to the streets for weeks against the government of Edi Rama and the country's political establishment.
It all started at the end of May with the start of the preparatory phase of works for the project of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, for the construction of a luxury resort in the Vjosa-Narta protected area.
The ecological importance of this area immediately sparked protests from environmental groups. However, what seemed to remain a small local protest quickly turned into a movement capable of putting the Rama government in difficulty.
"The turning point for many people was a video from the island of Zvërnec, part of the Vjosa-Nartë protected area. The video shows a protester being forcibly taken away by the private guards of the construction site, while the security forces do nothing," Dorina Lamaj, another young Albanian who has chosen to participate in the protests, tells L'Espresso.
"Scenes like those in Zvërnec caused immense anger. We realized how much the government and state authorities were ignoring our concerns, so spontaneously more and more people took to the streets. The main demands are not only related to stopping the works on the Kushner resort. Many of us are also demanding Rama's resignation and the arrival of a new, younger and more competent leadership class. Even the opposition leader, Sali Berisha, is considered responsible for the situation our country is in," explains Alma Aluku.
The reaction of Albanian politics, and especially Rama's, has not been mild at all. The Albanian Prime Minister has accused the protesters of being manipulated by foreign powers such as Iran and Greece. Accusations that have been strongly rejected by the square.
"In fact, we are the ones who are fighting for the sovereignty of our country. Many of us are concerned precisely by Rama's relations with certain foreign powers. I am thinking, for example, of the American and Israeli governments. Kushner's resort is a symbol of the danger that our country will end up for sale and in the hands of foreign influences," says Olsi Aluku, Alma's brother.
Meanwhile, weeks pass and the protests show no signs of stopping. However, their outcome is still uncertain.
"The objective is clear: replacing the current political class. We know that it will not be easy to achieve. Even if we do not succeed immediately, these protests have already achieved an important result: the spirit of protest among the Albanian people has awakened. Especially among the young people who will govern tomorrow. Among us there are not only activists or political groups, but many ordinary people. Even young mothers with babies in strollers. Our hope is that these protests will stop the emigration of young generations from our country and show that staying and fighting for a different future is possible," explains Lamaj.
The issue of immigration is a very sensitive one in Albania. Currently, 43% of the Albanian population lives in other countries. Many members of the diaspora are organizing demonstrations in support of the protests in the countries where they live, including Italy. Many Albanian immigrants share the same concerns as those who have remained in their homeland.
Among them is Jessi Kume, who currently lives in Canada.
"One of the main motives of the protests is the obligation to emigrate. Many elderly people are having difficulty going to the protests because they are left alone. And we who have left also carry this pain with us. Every Albanian family has a member who is part of the diaspora. Every family is divided (or has been at some point) due to emigration. Sometimes we are so focused on political analysis that we forget the human side of these events," Kume explains to L'Espresso.
As for the real effects of the protests, the young woman still has hope:
“I don't know what needs to change, because we've already been taken too far, but I hope with all my heart that in the future, emigration will be a free choice and not an obligation, that care will be directed to citizens and not to tourists and concrete. I only know that as a people we have suffered much more than we should have. Now it's time to lift our heads.”/ Translated by Alfapress.al. taken from lespresso.it
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