The Albanian police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a gathering of hundreds of opposition supporters who had blocked roads in Tirana, accusing the government of corruption.

The protesters were calling for the government’s replacement with a transitional technocratic administration. Moreover, the opposition in Albania has been organizing protests almost every week, demanding the formation of a caretaker government ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2025.

They emphasized that they were participating in a campaign of civil disobedience against the socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama.

“The protests will continue; this is a battle until this regime is gone,” said Tedi Blushi of the opposition Freedom Party.

The leaders of the two largest opposition parties, Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party and Ilir Meta of the Freedom Party, are both accused of corruption. Both deny the charges and claim that Prime Minister Rama orchestrated the persecutions against them.

The Prime Minister, for his part, assures that the prosecutions are not politically motivated and accuses the opposition of trying to seize power through violence.

Berisha has been placed under house arrest on charges related to his time as prime minister. Meta was arrested in late October on charges of corruption during his presidency of Albania from 2017 to 2022.

Rama has been governing Albania since 2013 and plans to seek a fourth term as prime minister in the upcoming elections.