Violent protests continued to shake Albania's capital Tirana for a sixth consecutive day, as Prime Minister Edi Rama — now in his fourth term — insisted he would not resign.
Hundreds of protesters gathered again outside the Ministry of Education on Sunday, chanting demands that Rama step down and setting up a tense standoff with police. Officers later used rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas to push the crowd back.
Shops and public offices in the city centre reinforced their entrances with metal shutters, while city workers removed paving stones from sidewalks to stop protesters from using them as projectiles.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Sunday, Lindita Karadaku, a journalist with Albanian broadcaster TV Klan, said it was very difficult to predict how the unrest would unfold or how long it would last.
"Prime Minister Rama is very determined and has made clear he will not resign, but the young people protesting are equally determined and have shown they will not give up easily," Karadaku said. "At this point, nobody knows what tomorrow will bring."
In a livestream on social media the same day, Rama said "the government is not challenged," but suggested the unrest could affect Albania's path toward European Union membership.
"Albanian people need to think very clearly," Rama said. "Do they want this, or do they want the EU?"
Albania aims to achieve EU membership by 2030.
Key demands
Protesters are calling for better education, more jobs, an end to corruption allegations and the prime minister's resignation.
According to local media, protesters in Tirana have mainly targeted state institutions and police, including the Ministry of Education building and the area around the prime minister's office.
Rama, who has served as prime minister since 2013, has accused "foreign hands" of being behind the growing wave of protests and insists his government is doing everything it can to tackle corruption.
He has also said he is ready to listen to students' legitimate demands and discuss the cost of education, but stressed that anyone who damages property must be held accountable.
According to a Health Ministry report published on Sunday morning, 65 people were injured, including 37 police officers, and 12 people were hospitalised. The ministry said 272 people have been injured in clashes since Tuesday, including 169 police officers.
Discontent in Albania has been building for months. The first protests this year, dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution," began in May, when demonstrators opposed a controversial luxury resort project in southern Albania linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
