Tirana, 26 October 2026, dtt-net.com - Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama will "never" resign, his top parliamentary ally declared, even as student-led demonstrations gripped the capital town of the EU candidate country for a 14th consecutive day. The latest round of protests in Tirana saw students, teachers, professors, and parents flood the streets to demand an end to Rama's 13-year rule.
While previous demonstrations faced heavy security, Sunday’s march concluded without clashes or major incidents involving state police.
Taulant Balla, a high-ranking Socialist Party (PS) lawmaker and key Rama confidant, firmly shut down the protesters’ and opposition’s core demand in a statement to local media.
“There is a principle: you cannot choose your opponent,” Balla said.
“Edi Rama was elected Prime Minister of Albania on May 11, 2025, and has the full support of the SP parliamentary group and over 800,000 SP voters. Therefore, there will be no resignation,” he said.
Rama echoed this unyielding stance during an interview with the Greek daily Kathimerini.
While the Prime Minister vowed to address what he termed the “reasonable” complaints of the demonstrators, he explicitly rejected stepping down, setting up a high-stakes gridlock in the EU-candidate nation.
