EditViolent protests erupt in Albania amid corruption scandal
The latest unrest highlights Prime Minister Edi Rama's troubled anti-graft legacy
Anti-government protesters clashed violently with police in Albania’s capital on Tuesday evening, as thousands rallied in Tirana’s main square to demand the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku over allegations of corruption.
Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs at government buildings, while riot police responded with water cannons, marking the latest escalation in a series of protests that threaten the stability of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s administration, which has held power since 2013.
The unrest unfolded in front of the Prime Minister’s office, where crowds waved flags and chanted “Rama go home, this corrupted government should resign.” Special police units in riot gear formed barriers to protect key sites. No immediate injuries were reported, but the clashes underscore growing public frustration with perceived graft at the highest levels of government.
Political tensions have surged since December 2025, when Albania’s Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) – a body established to combat corruption and organized crime – indicted Balluku for allegedly interfering in public tenders for major infrastructure projects and favouring specific companies. Balluku, a close ally of Rama, has denied the charges, calling them politically motivated. SPAK has now requested that parliament lift her immunity to allow for her arrest, though the timeline for a vote remains unclear. Rama’s Socialist Party holds a parliamentary majority, raising doubts about whether the request will even be addressed.
This scandal is just the latest chapter in Albania’s longstanding battle with corruption, which has plagued the country since the fall of communism in the early 1990s. Under Rama’s tenure, Albania has experienced economic growth and tourism booms, but critics argue these gains mask deep-seated issues of cronyism, electoral fraud, and state capture. Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Albania 80th out of 180 countries, with a score of 42/100, highlighting pervasive graft in public life, business, and government institutions.
The EU’s “Progress Reports” on Albania’s accession bid note that corruption remains a serious concern as the country advances toward membership in the bloc.
Rama, a former artist and Tirana mayor, came to power promising to root out corruption through radical judicial reforms. In 2016, his government launched a vetting process for judges and prosecutors, supported by the EU and U.S., leading to the creation of SPAK in 2019. This body has prosecuted high-profile figures, including mayors, ministers, and even members of Rama’s own Socialist Party, such as former Health Minister Ilir Beqaj and Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, arrested on corruption charges in 2025.
However, opponents accuse Rama of weaponizing these institutions against political rivals, like opposition leader Sali Berisha, while shielding allies. German tabloid Bild leaked audio tapes in 2019 allegedly showing Rama’s involvement in electoral fraud with organized crime links.
Major scandals, such as the €430 million “incinerator affair” involving waste management contracts, have implicated close associates.
In a particularly eccentric twist to his anti-corruption strategy, Rama introduced Diella – an AI-generated “minister” – in September 2025 as the world’s first artificial intelligence cabinet member tasked with overseeing public procurement.
Diella, a digital avatar dressed in traditional Albanian attire and voiced by an actress, was designed to manage tenders impartially, eliminating human bias and bribery. Rama hailed it as a step toward “100% corruption-free” processes, developed by the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI) with input from Microsoft and OpenAI.
Albania appoints AI bot as minister to combat graft in public procurement
The initiative drew global attention, with Rama announcing plans to expand it by “giving birth” to 83 AI assistants for parliamentarians.
Yet, the move has been widely criticized as a publicity stunt to distract from ongoing scandals, including Balluku’s case, which involves the very tenders Diella was meant to safeguard.
Opposition MPs walked out during Diella’s parliamentary debut, calling it a farce.
Adding irony, in January 2026, developers involved in creating Diella faced graft accusations themselves, undermining the AI’s anti-corruption credentials.
Critics argue it symbolizes Rama’s preference for spectacle over substantive reform, especially as Albania pushes for EU membership by 2030.
With Reuters, with additional content by g.g.
Caption: An opposition supporter discharges fireworks near the stage where opposition politician Sali Berisha addressed supporters during an anti-government protest outside the Prime Minister’s office in Tirana, Albania, 10 February 2026. The rally follows a political crisis amid a court deadlock over the suspension of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku and subsequent moves by Prime Minister Edi Rama to limit the powers of the Special Prosecutor (SPAK), with protesters demanding the government’s resignation. EPA/MALTON DIBRA
Updated: February 11, 2026 - 07:36
