The short version: Students in Albania have been protesting since October 13, 2026. They started with the cost of university, run-down dormitories and the lack of jobs after graduation. Within days their protest merged with a months-long movement against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government, set off by a luxury resort planned in a protected coastal area and fed by a string of corruption cases. Most students in the street now say they want one thing first: Rama’s resignation. He says he will not go.
The anger is real and it has a basis. So does the violence, which has hurt protesters and police alike. And some of what circulates online about the resort goes further than any prosecutor or court has. Here is what the record shows.
Who is protesting
The current wave began on the afternoon of October 13, when students and other citizens gathered outside the Ministry of Education in Tirana. The protest lasted about nine hours and ended in clashes with police (Citizens Channel; BIRN). By the next day the crowd had grown to tens of thousands, according to Radio Free Europe, and protests spread to universities in Elbasan and Shkodër (Al Jazeera).
High school students joined, and so did some lecturers. Analysts interviewed by Al Jazeera described the movement as horizontal, coordinated through WhatsApp, Telegram and TikTok groups, with no single organization in charge (Al Jazeera). That matters for anyone trying to understand it. Nobody can speak for all of them, and the government has no one obvious to negotiate with.
Many protesters reject the opposition too. The students and the wider movement have criticized both Rama’s Socialist Party and Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party (Al Jazeera). Rama blames the opposition for the unrest. Experts quoted by Al Jazeera say opposition leaders do not control the crowds.
What students are asking for
At the start, the demands were about school. Students named tuition fees, conditions at universities, too little financial support and the lack of jobs after graduation (Reuters, via Periskopi). Speaking at the first protest, students asked for better dormitories and facilities, admission and jobs based on merit, lower fees and free public education (Citizens Channel). One student, Redjan Shkëmbi, called an Albanian diploma “nothing more than an emigration passport.”
Within days the protest took on the political demands of the movement that had been in the streets since May. In June that movement’s organizers listed five (Citizens Channel):
- Rama and his government resign.
- A non-party technical government takes over for a transition.
- The constitution, electoral code and party financing law change, including a two-term limit for prime ministers.
- Parliament repeals the changes to the protected areas and cultural heritage laws, the “Mountain Package” law and the framework for strategic investments.
- A new social contract between citizens and the state.
Why now
No single event explains it. Four things built up.
The cost of staying. Young Albanians are leaving, and the ones who stay are struggling to find work. Unemployment among 15 to 29 year olds rose to about 17.7 percent in the second quarter of 2026, up from 15.1 percent a year earlier, according to an analysis of data from INSTAT, Albania’s statistics agency (Balkanweb). The 2023 census counted 2,402,113 people living in Albania, down from 2,831,741 in 2011 (Top Channel). For a student weighing fees, rent and a job market like that, leaving looks like the rational choice, which is the students’ point.
A promise that did not land. Albanian students have done this before. After the 2018 protests Rama reshuffled his cabinet and announced a “Pact for the University,” but some of the students’ demands were never met (Al Jazeera). Afrim Krasniqi of the Institute for Political Studies in Tirana told Al Jazeera that students had protested peacefully for nearly three months this year and “their demands were largely ignored.”
The resort. In May, residents and activists began protesting a luxury development in Zvërnec, inside the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape near Vlorë, part of a project linked to Jared Kushner that also covers Sazan Island. The protests grew into what activists call the Flamingo Revolution, after the birds in the lagoon. For many young people the project became a symbol of who the country is being built for. More on what is known about it below.
The corruption cases. Over the past year SPAK, Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, has opened cases that reach the top of government. It accuses former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku of steering road contracts, which she denies. In March parliament voted against lifting her immunity so she could be arrested. In September the anti-corruption court approved house arrest for the head of the State Intelligence Service, Vlora Hyseni, whom prosecutors suspect of disclosing classified information in a corruption probe (Reuters, via ThePrint). Neither has been tried. We covered both cases in our piece on the Wilson and Self letter to Secretary Rubio.
The resort, and what the record shows
This is where the claims online run furthest ahead of the facts, so it is worth being precise.
What is documented:
- In December 2024 a government committee chaired by Rama gave the Sazan resort strategic investment status, which opens access to state land and state-funded infrastructure (Reuters, via The Star). A 2024 amendment to the protected areas law made five-star development possible inside Vjosa-Narta (Exit News).
- The Zvërnec land was sold by Artur Shehu, a businessman based in Miami, to a company owned by the project’s developers (Reuters, via the Denver Gazette).
- SPAK has issued an arrest warrant for Shehu. Its files say there is reasonable suspicion that his assets were “acquired through the use of forged documents,” and accuse him and associates of trafficking cocaine and laundering the money through real estate (Reuters, via the Denver Gazette).
- Prosecutors froze the money from the sale. Reuters put it at about €110 million in a notary account (The Deep Dive). The special court’s preventive seizure tied to the land sale was about €128 million (BIRN, via Balkanweb).
- Residents of Zvërnec have contested Shehu’s ownership in court for more than a decade, and that case was still open in July (Reuters, via the Denver Gazette).
- The European Commission warned that the project could put Albania on a collision course with EU environmental rules and urged it to repeal the protected areas changes (bne IntelliNews).
What the people involved say:
- Shehu denies everything. His lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, told Reuters he is “neither a drug trafficker nor a forger of property documents” and that his family has owned the land since Ottoman times.
- Reuters reported that the prosecution files make no allegation against Kushner or the other investors, and found no sign the investors knew of the suspicions about Shehu. The developer says the land purchases were lawful.
- Kushner has said he is a minority partner, that the title was reviewed by lawyers, and that the project will go through Albania’s regulatory and environmental processes (Exit News).
- Rama defends the project as legal and says the protests are driven by political opponents and misinformation.
What does not hold up, or has not been shown:
A recent English-language YouTube documentary about the project makes several claims that go beyond the record:
- “Courts have proven the deeds were forged.” No court had ruled on the deeds when Reuters reported in July. SPAK’s word is “suspicion,” and the residents’ civil case was still open.
- That Rama himself launders drug money. SPAK has not charged Rama with any crime, and he denies all corruption allegations against him.
- That relatives of the prime minister attended a 2019 meeting with traffickers in Aruba. SPAK’s file describes meetings in Aruba in January 2019 and names Shehu as a key figure. Some of the people it names share the surname Rama, but no report we found says they are related to the prime minister. Rama has said he has never been to Aruba and never sent anyone there (Balkanweb).
- That the bombing of Italian journalist Sigfrido Ranucci’s car is tied to Shehu. Italian police arrested four Italians over the October 2025 attack, and the judge said the person who ordered it has not been identified (Euronews).
- Large statistics on dirty money and empty homes. We could not trace the video’s figures to an official source.
You do not need any of those claims to understand why students are angry. A protected lagoon was opened to development by a change in the law, the land was sold by a man now wanted by Albania’s own prosecutors, and the government kept defending the deal. That is enough.
How the government has responded
Police. Police have used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets. At least 167 people had been arrested by October 20, including minors, and police have been accused of brutality (Al Jazeera). After video showed a 19-year-old with a broken leg being led away, four officers and a precinct chief were suspended and the Ombudsman began a review (Radio Free Europe). Rama announced a €2,500 bonus for front-line officers.
The violence on the other side. Some protesters have thrown stones, flares and firebombs. Protesters set fire to the Education and Justice ministries and to bank branches in Tirana (Radio Free Europe; Al Jazeera). Officers have been hurt too. Many students say the violence does not represent them. It has still given the government its main argument.
Rama. “As for calls for my resignation, governments change through democratic elections,” he told Reuters (Al Jazeera). He has said legitimate grievances are being exploited by people who want violence, and has described the unrest as part of a “hybrid war” (Euronews).
The offer. On October 28 Rama announced a package: the monthly scholarship for students from low-income families would rise from 10,000 to 25,000 lek, another €100 million would go to dormitories, businesses would have to pay interns half the minimum wage, and a platform would let students send complaints anonymously. He said he would meet students anywhere and revise the University Pact (Ekofin).
The package answers some of what students asked for in October. It does not answer what they ask for now.
Where it stands
On November 2, students marched through faculties in Tirana calling for a class boycott (Albanian Daily News). On November 4 they were back outside the Education Ministry, saying Rama’s resignation is not negotiable and refusing the talks the government has offered (Koha Jonë).
So the two sides are stuck. Students do not trust an offer from a government they want gone, and the government will not give up power to a movement with no leaders and no seats in parliament. Rama’s Socialist Party won a fourth term in May 2025, and the next general election is not due until 2029. Something has to give, and so far nothing has.
NAR does not take sides in Albanian politics. Our board’s October 18 statement says peaceful protest and the freedom to speak without fear belong to no party. For what Albanian Americans can do, see Albania’s Students Are Protesting. What Should the Diaspora Do?
Studying in Albania?
We are putting together a small online conversation between students in Albania and Albanian students in America. You talk about your studies, costs, work and plans, in Albanian, on Zoom, for about an hour. First name only, camera optional, and it is not recorded by NAR.
Sources
- Citizens Channel, “Studentët rizgjojnë protestën, policia përgjigjet me dhunë,” October 13, 2026. citizens.al
- BIRN / Balkan Insight, “Albanian student protesters clash with police outside Ministry of Education,” October 13, 2026. balkaninsight.com
- Radio Free Europe, report on the third day of student protests in Tirana, October 14, 2026. evropaelire.org
- Periskopi, report on Reuters coverage of the student demands, October 14, 2026. periskopi.com
- Al Jazeera, “Fire erupts at Albania’s Education Ministry as protests spiral,” October 14, 2026. aljazeera.com
- Al Jazeera, “‘Boiling point’: Why students are protesting against Albania’s Edi Rama,” October 15, 2026. aljazeera.com
- Al Jazeera, “‘Horizontal revolt’: Why Albania’s young protesters want PM Rama to go,” October 20, 2026. aljazeera.com
- Euronews, report on the parliament scuffle over the student protests, October 23, 2026. euronews.com
- Ekofin, report on Rama’s package for students, October 28, 2026. ekofin.al
- Albanian Daily News, “Student Protests Spread Across Universities in Albania as Calls for Class Boycott Intensify,” November 2, 2026. albaniandailynews.com
- Koha Jonë, report on the student march to the Education Ministry, November 4, 2026. kohajone.com
- Citizens Channel, report on the five demands of the protest movement, June 23, 2026. citizens.al
- Balkanweb, analysis of INSTAT youth unemployment data, September 11, 2026. balkanweb.com
- Top Channel, report on the 2023 census results, June 28, 2024. top-channel.tv
- Reuters, “Businessman who sold land for Kushner resort in Albania suspected of faking the deeds,” July 11, 2026. denvergazette.com
- Reuters, “Albania court suspends spy chief, orders house arrest in graft probe,” September 22, 2026. theprint.in
- The Deep Dive, report on the frozen land-sale funds, August 2026. thedeepdive.ca
- Balkanweb, report on BIRN’s reporting of the SPAK file on the Aruba meetings, 2026. balkanweb.com
- Exit News, “Kushner’s Response on Albania: What the Record Shows,” October 12, 2026. exit.al
- Reuters, “Albania approves luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner’s company,” January 16, 2025. thestar.com.my
- bne IntelliNews, “Albania suspends Kushner luxury island resort after EU warning,” June 9, 2026. intellinews.com
- Balkanweb, report on Rama’s remarks about the Aruba allegations, June 20, 2026. balkanweb.com
- Euronews, “Italian police arrest four over bomb attack targeting journalist,” June 30, 2026. euronews.com
- Hero photo: “Street protest in Tirana, Albania, 2026” by Vyolltsa, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. commons.wikimedia.org
- National Albanian Registry, “A statement from the NAR board on the protests in Albania,” October 18, 2026. albanianregistry.org
