TIRANA, July 6 /ATA/ – Protesters gathered in central Tirana on Monday evening for a 37th consecutive day of demonstrations that began in opposition to a planned tourism investment in the coastal village of Zvërnec and have since expanded to include broader political and institutional demands.
Demonstrators assembled in Skanderbeg Square before marching along the capital’s main boulevard toward the Prime Minister’s office, calling for the departure of what they described as Albania’s entrenched political establishment.
Carrying banners, protesters reiterated demands for changes to the electoral law and the repeal of amendments to Albania’s protected areas legislation. Organisers also urged participants to maintain the demonstrations, which in recent days have included marches along several of Tirana’s main thoroughfares.
From the protest stage, one demonstrator read a statement outlining a series of demands addressed to Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government.
The statement called for the unconditional resignation of the prime minister and the entire cabinet, and the establishment of a non-partisan transitional technocratic government with a 12-month mandate.
Protesters also called for the drafting of a new constitution, which they said should guarantee equality before the law and be approved through a national referendum. They further proposed changes to the electoral code and political party financing rules, as well as a lifetime limit of two terms for any prime minister.
The declaration reiterated earlier demands, including repealing amendments to the Protected Areas Law, abolishing the Cultural Heritage Law, reversing the legislative package known as the “Mountain Package,” and repealing the legal framework governing strategic investments.
Protest organisers also proposed drawing up a “new social contract” between citizens and the state, to be developed through consultations involving independent experts and non-partisan citizens participating in the protest movement.
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