Markets 
Published on •Updated
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama has doubled down on claims that cyberattacks by Iran are responsible for the spread of disinformation as protests demanding he resign continue.
“Your regime can hack networks, imprison critics, censor voices, threaten opponents, bully neighbours and manufacture endless excuses for its failures. But it cannot escape reality forever,” Rama wrote in a social media post, accusing Tehran of making threats and using propaganda to justify its actions.
A protest movement that began in opposition to a planned tourism development in the Pishe Poro area and Sazan island entered its tenth consecutive day on Wednesday, culminating in what organisers described as a nationwide demonstration.
Protest leaders called on Albanians across the country and abroad to join the latest rally, which was deliberately scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of the League of Prizren, a 19th-century event widely regarded as a symbol of Albanian national unity.
The protesters gathered at Skënderbej Square in the capital Tirana, to march towards parliament and were chanting “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison”, referring to Sali Berisha the former prime minister and now chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania.
The movement was initially sparked by concerns over a proposed investment project by a venture linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in a protected coastal area. However, it has since evolved into a broader campaign challenging a range of government policies and legislation.
Throughout the protests, participants have advanced five key demands: the resignation of the government; the repeal of legislation and special status provisions for strategic investors; the withdrawal of the Mountain Package; the reversal of amendments to the Law on Protected Areas; and the repeal of amendments to the Law on Cultural Heritage.
The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership.
The luxury project has two components: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a communist-era military base.
Rama told Euronews last week that opposition to the proposed real estate project on the country’s southern coast is being amplified by bots, antisemitic narratives and hostile external forces to fuel tensions in Albania.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the European Commission urged Albanian authorities to “act without delay” in order to avoid jeopardising the country’s bid to join the EU, which will require it to align with the bloc’s environmental rules.
“Albania should refrain from actions that could undermine the fulfilment of the closing benchmark, in this case Chapter 27, and so we expect the Albanian authorities to act without any delay,” spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said, referring to the chapter of EU accession talks which requires a candidate country to align with environmental rules.
Organisers said the protests would continue in the coming days, maintaining that their demands remain unchanged.
Read the full article here
