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Albania's civic awakening

2026-06-10 22:12:00, Opinione Elez Biberaj

One year after Rama's landslide victory, the illusion of invincibility is shattered

A year after Prime Minister Edi Rama won a fourth consecutive term, Albania finds itself in a reality profoundly different from the triumphalist narrative he had projected.

The government that claimed unparalleled authority now faces the most sustained civic uprising in decades. What began as modest protests against foreign investment projects in Zvërnec and Sazan has morphed into a nationwide confrontation with a system that many Albanians see as unaccountable, exploitative, and fundamentally flawed.

The protests were sparked by concerns about the opaque terms of high-profile investments linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. But the demonstrations are not a referendum on the Trump family, nor a rejection of foreign capital. Albanians have long welcomed investments that respect the country’s laws, the environment, and the public interest. What they reject is the way these projects were pushed forward: without transparency, without consultation, and without respect for environmental or property rights. The protests are not anti-Trump or anti-American; they are against kleptocracy.

For years, Rama governed as if political competition were a nuisance rather than a democratic necessity. Power became increasingly centralized. Parliament functioned as a formality. Cabinet changes were announced theatrically, with ministers learning of their appointments during public speeches. The ruling party’s internal life was reduced to loyalty and conformity. The opposition, fragmented and demonized, was treated as a nuisance, not a counterweight.

This concentration of authority created the illusion of stability. But it also produced a fragile system – one that could function effectively only as long as citizens remained passive. The protests have shattered this assumption. They have exposed the limits of a model of governance built on control and corruption, rather than consent and accountability.

The controversy over the Zvërnec and Sazan projects brought to the surface deeper grievances. Albanians have seen for years how public tenders, infrastructure contracts and strategic assets have been given away to politically connected networks. High-profile corruption cases, such as the Balluku affair and the enrichment of ministers, senior officials and their families, have reinforced the perception of a ruling elite shielded from accountability.

Ndërkohë, qytetarët e zakonshëm janë përballur me paga të pandryshuara, kosto në rritje dhe shërbime publike në rënie. Gati një milion shqiptarë kanë emigruar në dy dekadat e fundit, një largim tronditës që pasqyron si vështirësitë ekonomike, ashtu edhe humbjen e besimit në drejtimin e vendit. Protestat janë, pjesërisht, një përgjigje ndaj këtij erozioni të gjatë të besimit.

Në vend që të angazhohej me shqetësimet e protestuesve, Rama ka zgjedhur një strategji përçmimi dhe talljeje.

Ai i ka paraqitur demonstratat si anti-investime ose të manipuluara nga agjentë të huaj. Ai është tallur me protestuesit përmes spektakleve – batuta me pelikanë, përqeshje të inskenuara dhe nënkuptime se ata janë të keqinformuar ose jopatriotikë.

Ai ka ringjallur spektaklin e tubimeve masive që kremtojnë përvjetorin e partisë së tij, duke evokuar mobilizimet performative të epokës së vonë komuniste. Ky reagim zbulon më shumë sesa mbrojtje politike. Ai pasqyron një stil qeverisës të mësuar me pandëshkueshmërinë dhe që e ka të vështirë ta kuptojë mospajtimin ndryshe veçse si sabotim. Është një përgjigje që e thellon, në vend që ta zgjidhë, krizën e legjitimitetit.

Ajo që e bën këtë kryengritje qytetare të jashtëzakonshme është përbërja e saj. Ajo nuk është e orkestruar nga një parti politike. Nuk drejtohet nga një ideologji e vetme. Është një koalicion studentësh, aktivistësh mjedisorë, pronarësh, punëtorësh, pensionistësh dhe profesionistësh të rinj. Shumë prej tyre ishin shkëputur prej kohësh nga politika, të bindur se pjesëmarrja kishte pak peshë.

Tani ata janë në rrugë, të bashkuar nga bindja e përbashkët se Shqipëria nuk mund të vazhdojë në rrugën aktuale. Kërkesat e tyre janë të qarta dhe koherente: dorëheqja e Ramës; një qeveri teknike për të rikthyer besimin; shfuqizimi i ligjeve të miratuara për t’u përshtatur investitorëve pa konsultim publik; llogaridhënie për korrupsionin, përfshirë rastet e nivelit të lartë; dhe një model qeverisjeje i mbështetur në transparencë dhe sundim të ligjit.

Këto nuk janë kërkesa radikale. Ato janë pritshmëritë themelore të një shoqërie demokratike.

Për vite me radhë, jeta politike e Shqipërisë është karakterizuar nga dorëzimi. Qytetarët kanë parë institucionet të dobësohen, korrupsionin të thellohet dhe debatin publik të ngushtohet. Shumë arritën në përfundimin se asgjë nuk mund të ndryshonte. Protestat e kanë përmbysur këtë trajektore psikologjike.

Ato i kanë rikthyer ndjenjën e veprimit një shoqërie të cilës për një kohë të gjatë i është thënë se pushteti është i palëvizshëm. Edhe pa një udhëheqës të vetëm apo strukturë formale, lëvizja ka arritur tashmë diçka të thellë: ka thyer magjinë e pathyeshmërisë që rrethonte sundimin e Ramës.

Rama’s landslide victory in 2025 was intended to cement his dominance. Instead, it accelerated the overstepping of the boundaries of power, which has now provoked widespread resistance. His mandate, once presented as historic, increasingly resembles a Pyrrhic victory – one that brought short-term control at the cost of long-term legitimacy. Even if he survives the immediate crisis, the political landscape has changed irrevocably. The government can no longer rely on public apathy. The opposition, while still fragmented, is no longer the sole channel of dissent. Civil society, long marginalized, has returned to the national stage. And the younger generation, so often dismissed as disconnected, has shown itself willing to act.

At this moment, the international community also faces a choice: to remain a distant observer, or to take a principled stance in support of democratic norms, institutional integrity, and true accountability.

The protests have opened a door, but they have not yet defined the path forward. Albania needs more than catharsis. It needs a comprehensive strategy for democratic renewal: rebuilding institutions capable of resisting political pressure; restoring checks and balances; guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary; protecting media freedom; creating space for new political actors; and investing in education and opportunities so that young Albanians can see a future for their country.
These are long-term tasks, but they have now become part of the national conversation in a way that they have not been for years.

Whether or not the protests will bring about immediate political change is not the only measure of their significance. Albania has already crossed a threshold. A society that had become cynical has regained its voice. A government that believed itself invincible has been confronted with its limits. A nation that felt humiliated by corruption has regained its dignity.
This is a civic awakening, not a passing episode.
Albania has come through difficult chapters and emerged stronger. It can do so again. The courage shown on the streets of Tirana is not simply a rejection of the present; it is an affirmation of the future. The protesters have reminded the country and the world that Albania’s democratic aspirations remain alive, enduring, and deeply rooted.

A people that regains its dignity no longer returns to silence. Albania has entered a new chapter, and its citizens are writing it with clarity, courage, and hope.