Albanian lawmakers scuffled with guards, shouted, and set off flares in parliament on Thursday during a chaotic session in Tirana.
The altercation occurred amidst a vote for the country’s next ombudsman, its top human rights official. The opposition Democratic Party of Albania accused the governing Socialist Party of election fraud and eroding democracy, grievances protested for months. Opposition MPs tugged microphones and threw bottles at speaker Niko Peleshi, who tried to keep the vote going.
Peleshi urged the lawmakers to “respect the institution of the parliament.”
“We cannot destroy the state like this,” he said.
During physical altercations with parliament guards, opposition lawmakers lit flares after they refused to vacate the chairs of the ruling cabinet, which they had occupied before the session began.
The protesting lawmakers held up placards with slogans comparing Prime Minister Edi Rama to Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno, calling him “The Noriega of Europe.”
One of the opposition’s main demands is the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku, who has held her post despite an arrest warrant being issued by the country’s Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime, known as SPAK.
SPAK has accused Balluku of interfering with the public procurement procedures in several construction projects, and has urged parliament to vote to lift Balluku’s immunity. The issue is to be discussed in an upcoming special session. Balluku has not responded to the accusations against her.
Albania is considered a front-runner in the Western Balkans for joining the European Union, along with northern neighbor Montenegro. However, international watchdogs say the country continues to suffer from widespread corruption and a monopolization of power by the ruling Socialist Party, which have been in government since 2013.
