TIRANA, Albania — A 25-year-old lawmaker once hand-picked by Prime Minister Edi Rama has crossed the floor of Albanian politics to stand with mass student protests now in their fifth day, as tear gas, rubber bullets and burning buildings define the biggest challenge to Rama's rule since he took power in 2013.
Marjana Koceku, now an independent member of parliament, joined demonstrators in Tirana on Friday calling for Rama to step down. Last year, Rama selected her to run for parliament as one of a legion of young lawmakers he hoped would become the face of his Socialist Party.
Watch: students confronting riot police amid tear gas and water cannon outside Albania's Education Ministry in Tirana — footage from the October 13 protests where demonstrators threw stones and police deployed water cannons.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
A Lawmaker Switches Sides
Standing near the protests as police fired tear gas and water cannon, Koceku told Reuters the government had failed the country's youth. "The country is amazing, but ... the wrong policies that have been implemented by this political elite are completely against what the Albanian communities and Albanian citizens have been asking and seeking for so long," she said.
Her defection is a symbol of how far the unrest has spread. The anger has been building for months: corruption scandals dogging the administration, a lack of jobs for graduates, and a proposed luxury resort on Albania's southern coast backed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Students had protested peacefully for some 140 days before the movement turned violent on October 13 and 14.
Rama Refuses to Go
Rama, a former basketball player who won a fourth term in elections in May 2025, denies wrongdoing and says he will not resign. "Governments are changed through democratic elections and we had them last year, not through violence," he told Reuters.
In a written statement, he added that his responsibility was to "listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward," warning that stepping aside would betray the voters who gave him a strong mandate to complete negotiations on European Union membership. Albania is aiming for EU membership as early as 2028.
Streets on Fire
The protests turned violent this week in ways Tirana has rarely seen. According to police figures, 500 protesters have been detained, of whom 330 were released. Some 120 police officers and 45 protesters were injured, though the protester figure is likely higher given that many injuries have gone unrecorded.
Demonstrators set fire to the education ministry building and bank branches, smashed storefronts and hurled pavement stones at police. On Saturday, police fired rubber bullets at crowds outside the Education Ministry — an escalation confirmed after Reuters reporters found rubber pellets on the ground. Police chief Skender Hita told a news conference that all means were "employed in a limited manner, including the most recent ones."
The unrest has spread beyond Tirana to Lezha, Elbasan, Skhodra and Korca. President Bajram Begaj condemned the violence and appealed for calm, while Israel's embassy in Tirana temporarily closed on Friday. Student organizers say the core demands remain education funding, university conditions, jobs — and Rama's resignation.
What Happens Next
Albania's unrest is part of a wider wave of student activism across Europe, including weeks of school blockades in France. Whether the movement forces concessions or burns out will shape not just Rama's fourth term, but Albania's EU ambitions and the political future of a generation that says it has stopped waiting. With protesters vowing not to stop until Rama resigns and Rama vowing not to bow to violence, neither side is blinking yet.
Sources: Reuters | Al Jazeera | Business Standard (AP) | Firstpost