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Police in Tirana fired tear gas and water cannons on Friday to disperse protesters who hurled petrol bombs and fireworks toward the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama, as demonstrators demanded the government’s resignation over corruption allegations involving his deputy.
It’s the fourth time protesters are hitting the streets over what they see as government efforts to shield senior officials from anti-corruption investigations. At the center is a case against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku who stands accused of interfering in public tenders in favor of certain companies.
The country’s anti-corruption prosecutor, SPAK, opened a criminal case after indicting Balluku in December on suspicion of “violation of the equality of participants in public tenders or auctions,” tied to a 2021 procurement connected to the Llogara Tunnel project. She has denied wrongdoing, and Mr. Rama has continued to support her.
Prosecutors have also linked the allegations to a tender for the Tirana Grand Ring Road, saying Balluku, then infrastructure minister, tilted procedures to favor certain companies and “predetermined the winner,” according to details reported by Reuters.
On Feb. 6, Albania’s Constitutional Court left in place a court-ordered suspension barring Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku from exercising her public functions, after judges split 4–4 on Rama’s request to lift the measure — short of the five votes needed to overturn it. The decision is expected to take effect once published in the Official Gazette.
Dorian Matlija, a lawyer and head of the rights group Res Publica, told OCCRP the suspension is meant “to protect the integrity of the investigation” and “does not imply guilt,” describing it as a precaution used when prosecutors argue an official could influence evidence or witnesses.
Parliament is now weighing a separate prosecutorial request to authorize her arrest. A session of the Council of Mandates and Immunities is scheduled for Feb. 23, followed by a full parliamentary vote expected March 5, according to a timeline compiled by local media.
Matlija said the debate would hinge on proportionality, noting that if suspension removes the alleged risks, arrest — an “ultima ratio” measure — becomes harder to justify.
The case has also ignited a dispute over proposed changes to the criminal procedure code that would exempt top officials, including the prime minister and deputy prime minister, from court-ordered suspensions — a move critics say is designed to protect Rama’s allies.
Afrim Krasniqi, head of the Albanian Institute for Political Studies, said that in a country seeking closer ties with the European Union, senior officials facing charges should step aside, warning that altering rules mid-case would appear to be “a pure abuse of power.”
Economist Zef Preçi, who leads the Albanian Center for Economic Research, said it is “a proven fact” that large contracts have increasingly gone to businesses widely seen as politically connected, calling major infrastructure procurement one of Albania’s least transparent sectors.
