Riot police hearth tear fuel and water cannons at protestors in Albania amid violent anti-Government clashes
Riot police in Albania fired tear gas and water cannons at anti-government protesters, who threw Molotov cocktails and flares at a demonstration in the country’s capital on Tuesday night.
Thousands of opposition supporters demanding the end of Albania’s current government flooded the streets of Tirana and clashed with police.
Dramatic images showed fires being lit and fireworks being thrown at law enforcement.
Cops said that sixteen protesters were treated in a hospital for burns and other injuries, adding that 13 were arrested during the protest.
Prime minister Edi Rama’s government has come under fire over corruption allegations involving deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku, though Rama has resisted calls to dismiss her.
There have been growing demands that lawmakers lift Balluku’s immunity from prosecution, which can only be done in a parliamentary vote.
Anti-corruption prosecutors have accused Balluku, who is also minister for energy and infrastructure, of interfering in public procurement for construction projects to favour certain companies, and have called for her immunity to be lifted.
Tuesday night’s protest was attended by thousands of people, and it was the third such demonstration in recent months demanding Rama’s resignation.
More than 1,300 police officers had been deployed to ensure security.
Previous protests also turned violent, with demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at police and a government building, and with authorities responding with tear gas and water cannons.
Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, a former prime minister who has also faced corruption charges himself, described the protest as a ‘peaceful uprising’ that came at a critical moment for Albania.
A group of masked protesters gather as one of them fires a flare during an anti-government protest, triggered by a corruption investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, in front of the Prime Minister’s office in Tirana, Albania, February 10, 2026
Police officers hold shields outside the Prime Minister’s office during an anti-government protest, triggered by a corruption investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, in Tirana, Albania, February 10, 2026
An opposition supporter walks away from tear gas during an anti-government protest in Tirana, Albania, February 10 2026
Speaking at the protest, he accused Rama of ‘declaring war on the justice system.’
Political analyst Mentor Kikia said it was unlikely that any major change would result from the protests.
‘Citizens are distrustful, having consistently voted for the lesser evil to remove the greater evil from power,’ he said.
‘The current perception is that if Rama leaves, Berisha will return. One left power because of corruption, the other must also leave power because of corruption,’ Kikia said.
Albania hopes to join the European Union, and is under close monitoring by the bloc as part of its accession process, which it hopes to complete by 2027.
However, international watchdogs say the country continues to suffer from widespread corruption.
