The demonstrations, which began in the morning before the parliamentary session, are organized by the “Albanian Coalition for Family and Life” and call on lawmakers not to approve the legislation.

Protesters held banners supporting traditional family structures and binary gender norms, with some describing the bill as foreign to Albanian values.

Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha and several other lawmakers, including Klevis Balliu, Tedi Blushi, Belind Këlliçi, Tritan Shehu, joined the protests during the day.

The proposed law aims to align Albania’s legislation with European Union standards on human rights, ensuring equal treatment of women and men.

The government maintains that the bill does not introduce new genders or threaten traditional families, but seeks to prevent discrimination and strengthen gender equality as part of Albania’s EU accession commitments.

Opposition parties argue the bill undermines family values and have called for a public referendum on the measure.

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