Police and protesters in Albania have scuffled in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama‘s office in Tirana after tens of thousands of people gathered there to protest against corruption and the country’s cost of living crisis.
According to international media reports, after demonstrating peacefully for about three hours, protesters broke through police cordons around Rama’s office on Saturday and sprayed red and black paint on the main doors to the government building.
Albania has seen an 8 percent price hike this year, especially for basic food and fuel, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Rama says his Cabinet has kept inflation low compared with double-digit inflation elsewhere in Europe, and has noted that the government subsidises electricity for families and small businesses.
Opposition supporters have also blamed Rama for the thousands of young men who leave the country each year in search of a better life.
