For more than a month, thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to protest against their government, in the biggest outbreak of unrest in Albania since the collapse of communism more than three decades ago. What began with environmental concerns about protecting a nature reserve and the more than 2,500 species it hosts has become the flamingo revolution, questioning the very direction of the country.
Albanians are angered that multibillion dollar luxury developments backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump threaten one of the last wild areas on the Adriatic – Zvërnec, its lagoon and the nearby island of Sazan – and are furious at the lack of transparency surrounding the projects. The government says that deals are not finalised. But videos of bulldozers on beaches triggered the mass protests.
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Now demonstrators are demanding the resignation of their prime minister, Edi Rama, who won a fourth term only last year, albeit on a turnout of just 45%. Mr Rama has insisted that “there is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here”. The Socialist party leader has enthusiastically courted business and foreign wealth, arguing that it is essential for one of Europe’s poorest countries to prosper. Albanians welcome investment, but that doesn’t mean they want to sell their birthright – especially if the terms of the deal are unclear. Mr Rama has been portrayed as a leader pulling his country into the modern world. Critics at home complain of bulldozer democracy, more attractive from a distance.
Mr Rama blames anti-Trump sentiment for the backlash. Voters across Europe are alert to signs that their leaders may be cowed into compromising national interests for fear of Donald Trump’s ire. But the movement is much more about disenchantment with both Mr Rama’s government and the conservative opposition leader, Sali Berisha – a former president and prime minister who was at one time banned from the US under the Biden administration for alleged corruption.
The Zvërnec development is made possible by a 2024 law amendment allowing construction in nature reserves for five-star developments. For many, there is no clearer evidence of ordinary people being sold out for the benefit of the super-rich. As one older Albanian protester told the Guardian: “It’s been more than 30 years and still our hospitals are terrible, our education system is shit, there are no jobs and everyone is leaving … We’ve learned from experience that similar projects only ever benefit a wealthy few.”
Albanians are demanding that politics offers them something better. There are echoes of the long-running protests in Serbia against cronyism and unaccountability. Strikingly, a country known for its high levels of emigration has seen young, educated citizens fly back to play a part in the protests. Albanians who previously feared there was little future in their country are trying to shape one.
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MEPs have called for an immediate halt to construction in fragile areas and have warned that the resort project puts Albania’s EU accession plans at risk. That should be a chastening message for Mr Rama, who has promised to deliver membership by 2030. But the prime minister should listen first and foremost to his fellow citizens. This is not only a battle to protect a precious part of nature, important as that is. It is about whether the country can find a better course than short-term growth that enriches the few via opaque deals.
