Opposition denounces the government

TIRANA, April 4 – While the government and other institutions celebrated the victory in receiving a NATO membership invitation, only a day later the opposition Socialist Party held an anti-government protest in Tirana asking for Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s resignation.
Thousands of opposition protesters gathered with anti-Berisha slogans and were praised by opposition leaders. Only some hundreds of meters away, a pop concert was set up to celebrate the invitation and three days later another large concert was held at the same Skanderbeg Square. Berisha has made it clear that reforms undertaken by his cabinet since 2005, when they came to power, were the reason the country received the membership invitation.
He mentioned the zero tolerance against organized crime and corruption, and also the army reforms, not forgetting to highly praise resigned Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, leader of the Republican party and part of the governing coalition, for his role in that work. The opposition has demanded a full explanation, and resignation, from Berisha and holds him directly responsible for the tragedy in Gerdec, where at least 24 people were killed and some 300 injured.
Speaking with his leadership, convened in Vore, near Gerdec on Tuesday, Socialist leader Edi Rama asked Prosecutor General Ina Rama to question Berisha about the explosion, adding a recently discovered document showed how the ammunition sent to Gerdec was tied to Berisha.
The opposition insists that the March 15 explosion in Gerdec resulted from other than natural causes and said they were preparing a strategy to assist affected people.