TIRANA, Dec. 9 – Albanians honored this week the legacy of the students’ protest in 1990 that forced the then-communist regime to accept political pluralism and let free the founding of new parties.
Tirana University students launched a protest that culminated in Dec. 8, 1990 against the then-communist regime of the late communist leader, Ramiz Alia.
“We want Albania like the rest of Europe” was the main slogan for the students. Dec. 8 has turned into a national holiday in Albania. But it is mostly celebrated separately by the two main political groupings.
The opposition center-right Democratic Party of Lulzim Basha, which was founded during the protests, celebrated with a big concert at the Sports Palace. Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama joined the celebrations with civic groups in another show.
Student protests that toppled communism remembered
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