TIRANA, Feb. 27 – The Albanian interreligious council called on both sides of the Albanian political spectrum to solve the crisis the country has found itself in through dialogue and restraint.
In one voice the Albanian Muslim Community of Albania, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, the Catholic Church of Albania, the Bektashi World Headquarters and the Brotherhood of Albania, appealed for “a solution to this prolonged conflictuality, which is further deepening Albanians’ poverty, their migration, the weakening of our country’s democratic institutions, as well as further damaging Albania’s image in the eyes of the world.”
“All of us together, we must insist on the virtue of hope, which is being wounded day by day, calling on all the political factors to put aside verbal or physical violence, the despite of the political opponent, and find solutions to the benefit of the whole Albanian society, those noble mothers and fathers, who nourished the generations with the sacred love of this earth, and especially of our youth, which deserves a country with a hopeful future,” the joint announcement read.
According to the religious leaders, our country’s situation is deeply affecting the social and economic aspects of Albanian society and undermining the youth’s future.
For over three months, Albania has been facing a political deadlock which culminated with all the opposition’s parties’ MPs giving up their mandates and leaving only the majority in parliament last week, after organizing two national, anti-government rallies that demande Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation, the establishment of a caretaker government and early elections.
Although the protests left no people injured, tensions did arise between the opposition’s protesters and the police during the first one as citizens tried to break in the Prime Minister’s Office and police reacted by using teargas on them.
The Socialist majority has not reacted to the protests and the opposition’s demands other than calling them blows to Albania’s image in the eyes of the world, despite the surfacing allegations towards it during the last months over corruption scandals including government tenders and funds, ties with criminal rings to afford ballot buying and nationwide student protests claiming the government has wrecked the country’s education system.
