Prime Minister Edi Rama Refuses to Resign Amid Tirana Riots

Prime Minister Edi Rama refused to resign on Thursday following three days of violent student-led protests in Tirana. Demonstrators citing rising education costs, corruption, and poor employment prospects torched the Ministry of Justice and parts of the education ministry, while attacking the prime minister's office and the finance and interior ministries. Protesters also set fire to two banks and damaged other public property.

Police deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds, though some reports indicate police lines collapsed and protesters seized officers' gear. The unrest led parliament to cancel its session and resulted in sixteen arrests. The current violence follows months of peaceful demonstrations originally triggered by a luxury resort project on the southern coast backed by Jared Kushner.

Rama condemned the violence, stating that attacking institutions has nothing to do with the legitimate demands of students. He argued that governments are changed through democratic elections rather than revolutions and claimed that resigning would betray his mandate to secure European Union membership by 2028. Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu called for restraint, while Education Minister Mirela Kumbaro asserted that the right to protest does not justify the destruction of public property.