Opposition protests against government, no resignation required

TIRANA, Dec. 22 – Thousands of protesters gathered Friday at Tirana’s central Skanderbeg Square to protest against power crisis, poverty and corruption deepened during the last two years of governing.
Opposition leaders pledged to continue protests unless the government changed its policy on their topics of complaint.
Several thousand demonstrators took part in the rally despite the cold weather blaming the government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha on the serious power crisis with daily power cuts, for not doing enough to fight poverty but only increase unemployment and for still letting Albania as one of the most corrupted countries in the world.
Fighting corruption was the main issue that convinced Albanians in July 2005 to take the power from the Socialists to the then-opposition Berisha’s Democrats. Recent polls from international organizations have considered Albania as the most corrupt country in Europe and in the world.
Five opposition parties claimed that Berisha’s government has done nothing to fulfill their promises on fighting corruption and poverty.
“I wish you the New Year which will be the beginning of the end of the dictatorship and corruption, blackness, poverty and unemployment,” said main opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama, also Tirana mayor.
Ilir Meta of the Socialist Movement for Integration and other leader of three small political parties also called for continuous protests, considering 2008 as a very important moment in their political fight.
Unlike Berisha’s Democratic Party holding regular rallies while in opposition, Socialists and their allies have held two or three peaceful protests in two years.
The opposition leaders and many of their supporters ended the rally with a marching in front of the government building.
Albania emerged from communist rule in 1990 but its transition to democracy has been marred by sometimes violent political infighting.