Protest or demonstration calls from the opposition

TIRANA, Jan. 19 – The opposition is calling on the people to come to Friday’s anti-government rally.
The main opposition Socialist party has already started to distribute leaflets at people’s apartments and houses, shops and other places in capital Tirana in an effort to convene as many people as possible on Friday.
They insist to call it a demonstration and not a protest, meaning it is an anti-government move from all the people, despite their political affiliation.
It seems that is the new strategy for the opposition.
They accuse the government of corruption following the corruption claims against former deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Ilir Meta.
The opposition, including all the small leftist and a few center-right political groupings, says time has come for the government and Prime Minister Sali Berisha to resign.
Socialist leader Edi Rama also threatened Tuesday saying that the people in protest could go out of their control.
Berisha, on the other side, challenged the opposition urging them to hold the rally and also any other hunger strike in front of his office.
Friday’s demonstration is inspired by the publication of the video that showed Meta and former Economy Minister Dritan Prifti in a talk trying to favor a company in exchange of a kickback, which the opposition says that is the philosophy of Berisha’s government.
Meta has denied any affair of corruption.
Meanwhile the prosecutor’s office has started the investigation and asked US FBI to provide expertize to check if the video is genuine.
Berisha n the other side insists in his offer to the opposition to amend the Electoral Code, though there is no more formal time to do that.
The opposition’s leadership decided a week ago to hold the protest Friday focusing on the alleged government’s corruption files. Rama said that Meta’s resignation was not enough as corruption continued to exist with the government. government’s changes would not remove the corruption, he said.
“The head of corruption is not Meta, but the so-called Prime Minister, who after stealing the votes to steal Albania, thinks he can save the government by dragging the situation with ridiculous and shameful changes. These topics are at the same time ridiculous and shameful for an Albania, which today is suffering under the power of a corrupted government,” said Rama.
The opposition has said that the demonstration on January 21st will continue though there is no clear or announced strategy how it will proceed.
It is only known that the people will start to block Tirana’s street at 2 p.m. along their way to convene at Martyrs of the Nation boulevard.
They call to the people to come considering that as “the only possibility people have to protect the Constitution, law, the institutions and the citizens’ rights and freedoms.”
Following the heated debate Monday at the parliament between Socialist lawmakers and Berisha it seems that street protests have remained as the only tool for the opposition trying to topple the government.