Albania: Police disperse protesters from opposition party headquarters with tear gas | Albania

Albanian police used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters who stormed the headquarters of the country’s main opposition party in an internal dispute over the party’s leadership.

Dozens of officers pushed back hundreds of protesters who had stormed the ground floor of the center-right Democratic party headquarters. They detained 25 of the intruders and eight party staff members when the two sides clashed, authorities said.

A group led by former party leader Sali Berisha used iron bars and hammers to open the main doors of the building. The employees fired tear gas to try to prevent them from entering before the police intervened at the request of the party.

At least one civilian and one police officer were “slightly injured,” according to Lorenc Panganika, Tirana’s chief of police. Television coverage showed more civilians who appeared to be recovering from tear gas or fighting.

Berisha tries to remove the Democratic leader, Lulzim Basha, whom he accuses of being a “traitor” and “hostage” of Prime Minister Edi Rama of the left-wing socialist party. Basha kicked Berisha out of the party’s parliamentary group in September.

In a statement, the Democratic Party said: “Today’s acts of violence against the Democratic Party mark the final isolation of Sali Berisha and a shameful departure from the political scene.”

Berisha closed the demonstration after three hours, saying it was part of an “unstoppable revolution.” He said he and his followers would embark on a national campaign “to dismantle the narco-government.”

Prosecutors opened an investigation into the violence of the protest. The US ambassador to Albania, Yuri Kim, expressed concern about the “growing tensions” in the Democrats’ building and called on the protesters “to reject the violence and remain calm.”

In a press conference, Basha condemned what he called “the criminal organization of Sali Berisha which, with terrorist tools, tried to violently usurp the headquarters of the Democrats to be protected from their designation non grata.”

In December, Berisha’s parliamentary grouping claimed to have held a referendum removing Basha from office, but the move was not recognized by the Democratic Party.

Berisha, 77, served as Prime Minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013 and as President from 1992-1997. He was re-elected as a legislator by the Democratic Party in the parliamentary elections of April 2021.

The United States government imposed sanctions on Berisha last year. In May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that during Berisha’s 2005-2013 tenure as prime minister, the politician was involved in acts of corruption and had used “his power for his own benefit and to enrich people. his political allies and members of his family. “

Blinken also accused Berisha of interfering in “independent investigations, anti-corruption efforts and accountability measures.” He said that Berisha’s “corrupt acts undermined democracy in Albania.”

The fight against corruption has been the Achilles heel of post-communist Albania, which has strongly affected the democratic, economic and social development of the country. Berisha was the fourth senior Albanian official to be barred from entering the United States due to his alleged involvement in acts of corruption.

Last month, US Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said there would be “consequences” if the Democratic Party elected a leader whom Washington had designated persona non grata.